Pension funds hive off record amount of long-life risk

LONDON (Reuters) - The market that final salary pension funds are banking on to insure against the cost of longer lifespans has chalked up a record 8.9 billion pounds ($14.7 billion) in deals in 2013.

Greek EU presidency a challenge given ongoing crisis: Analysts

ATHENS: Crisis-hit Greece in January takes over the six-month rotating EU presidency with a crucial European Parliament ballot looming, and the bloc divided over delicate efforts to create a banking union.

High street post-Christmas sales dampen as shoppers stay at home

Retailers hoping for a steady boost from bargain hunters were disappointed on Friday when a strong start to the post-Christmas sales went into reverse.

Japan World-Beating Stocks Seen Repeating Gains in 2014

The 49 percent rally that pushed Japanese stocks past every other developed market in 2013 has done nothing to increase valuations, a sign to the world’s biggest investors that the advance will last.

Windham Capital Receives Tactical Risk Management Award by aiCIO

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Windham Capital Management has been recognized with the “Strategy & Tactics: Tactical Risk Management” Award at aiCIO’s 4th Annual Industry Innovation Awards, which highlights the best of the best in institutional asset management and servicing for the world’s largest pensions, endowments, foundations, and sovereign wealth funds.

U.S. mortgage applications fall as refinance hits five-year low: MBA

(Reuters) - Applications for U.S. home mortgages fell for a second week and hit a 13-year low as mortgage rates rose due to a bond market sell-off following the Federal Reserve's decision to pare its bond purchase stimulus in January, an industry group said on Tuesday.

GIC Buys 50% of Broadgate From Blackstone in British Land Tie Up

GIC Pte bought Blackstone Group LP (BX)’s 50 percent stake in London’s Broadgate office complex in the latest overseas acquisition for the Singapore sovereign wealth fund as it seeks stable returns from real estate.

Qatar fund in talks to invest $200 million in Indian property - source

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the sovereign wealth fund of the gas-rich Gulf emirate, is in talks to invest $200 million in residential property in India, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Off Limits, but Blessed by the Fed

The good news arrived in a confidential letter from the Federal Reserve Board in Washington. The nation’s biggest bank, JPMorgan Chase, had won the right to expand its reach in a lucrative business that has nothing to do with banking: electricity.

Hedge Fund Secrets Lie in Short Term Over Luck: Cutting Research

The best hedge fund managers tend to find profits in short-term, contrarian bets. That’s the finding of a study published this year by Russell Jame of the University of Kentucky and set to be presented next month at the American Economic Association’s annual meeting in Philadelphia.

Interest rate rise with no wage increase 'will push heavily-indebted to edge'

Heavily indebted homeowners will be hit hard if interest rates start to rise before wages have picked up, according to research by the Bank of England that underlines the dilemma facing policymakers as the economy recovers.

The Promise and Perils of Sovereign Wealth Funds

LOS ANGELES – Although sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) have been around for decades, it was not until the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007 that they truly garnered recognition as major players in the investment market.

Ukraine Getting $15 Billion From Russia Raises Questions

Ukraine sealed $15 billion of Russian financing and a one-third discount on energy imports from its neighbor as anti-government protesters in Kiev demanded to know what President Viktor Yanukovych had ceded in return.

Eurozone business activity rises but France lags: PMI data

BRUSSELS: Business activity in the 17-nation eurozone ticked up in December, but the recovery is uneven and weak French data of particular concern, a key survey showed on Monday.

Federal Reserve Tapering to U.K. Inflation: Global Economy

The data docket in the U.S. this week will be eclipsed by the Federal Reserve meeting as prospects mount that policy makers will trim stimulus in response to an improving economy.

Spanish inflation up 0.3 per cent in November

MADRID: Inflation rose by 0.3 in Spain in November, after staying flat in October, official data showed Friday, amid concern that deflation could dent the recovery in some eurozone countries.

Barings Joins Russian Sovereign Wealth Fund In Far East Coal Private Equity Deal

This morning the Russian sovereign wealth vehicle, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, announced a joint investment with an offshoot of Barings Private Equity International, one of the biggest names in private equity worldwide.

Manufacturing boosts UK industry but exports weaker

There were fresh warnings on Tuesday night that the UK's economic recovery was too reliant on hard-pressed consumers after official data showed exports falling.

GIC to Norges Bank Raise Risk Appetite in London: Real Estate

Investors from Norway to Singapore are bypassing property funds and putting money into London commercial projects with developers, taking more risk in a bid to increase returns as the U.K. market recovers.

'Upstairs' Trading Draws More Big Investors

Some of the world's biggest investors are changing the way they trade in U.S. markets in response to what they say are rising risks for institutions of their size.

China to probe use of foreign currency in trade finance

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese regulators will clamp down on banks' and companies' use of foreign currency for trade finance by ensuring that trade deals are authentic and by monitoring for unusual cross-border cash flows, state media reported.

Investors join gold rush for European infrastructure

LONDON (Reuters) - Power distribution systems may not sound like trophy assets, but for investors seeking higher returns in a low interest rate world, such European infrastructure is gold dust.

New Zealand Pension Fund Pares Equities Bet After Markets Surge

New Zealand’s sovereign wealth fund is cutting equity holdings after this year’s surge in global stock markets left shares at the most expensive in four years.

Bank of England holds UK interest rates at record low

The Bank of England has kept interest rates at a record low of 0.5%, despite signs that the UK economy is improving.

World’s Biggest Pension Fund Sees Japan Fail on 2% Inflation

The Bank of Japan’s unprecedented monetary easing will fail in its goal of spurring 2 percent inflation, according to Takahiro Mitani, president of the fund that manages the world’s largest pool of pension savings.

India current account deficit narrows sharply

India's current account deficit, a key area of concern, narrowed sharply in the second quarter after a series of measures helped curb gold imports.

Asia Pacific Bond Risk Little Changed, Credit Default Swaps Show

The cost of insuring corporate and sovereign bonds in the Asia-Pacific region against non-payment was little changed today, according to traders of credit default swaps.

U.S. retail sales up at start of holiday season: data

(Reuters) - U.S. shoppers visited more stores and spent more money at brick-and-mortar sites across Thanksgiving Day and "Black Friday" than they did in 2012 while online sales set records, data showed on Saturday.

Jobs and price growth offer hope for euro zone

BRUSSELS – The first fall in euro zone unemployment in almost three years coupled with rising prices gave fresh momentum to an economic recovery, but a growing rift between the bloc's haves and have-nots continued to widen.