News

SCHEME demand for information to help fight shareholder class actions abroad is on the rise, custodians say.

If ministers hoped the European Court of Justice would end their misery over compensation for scheme wind-up victims, they have been sorely disappointed.

US - The Indiana Public Employees' Retirement Fund (PERF) has made four private equity commitments totalling US$165m, which follows a $205m private equity investment in December 2006.

OVER 40pc of housing associations in the multi-employer Social Housing Pension Scheme will slash benefits for new employees following a scheme review, The Pensions Trust reveals.

SWITZERLAND - Winterthur Insurance's Christoph Manser has joined AXA Investment Managers as head of hedge fund activities.

ITALY - Italian asset managers are being forced to move towards international standards as numerous foreign players enter the market, European regulation takes hold and investors hunt performance.

THE conservative pensions spokesman Nigel Waterson wants the chancellor Gordon Brown to promise that the state pensions will be linked with employment earnings before the next election takes place.

Scheme assets have grown to $2338bn (£1186bn) - equivalent to 99pc of the UK's gross domestic product, new research reveals.

Life and pension providers Legal & General and Royal London have revealed big jumps in new UK business during 2006.

SOCIETE GENERALE Asset Management has poached three managers from Daiwa SBI.