UK pension returns hit 15% in 2009

Returns on UK pension funds recovered to 15% in 2009 which is the highest level since 2005, according to International Financial Services London (IFSL). However, four years of negative returns have weighed heavily on long-term figures, with real returns over the past decade only averaging 1.1% per year - well below the 4.2% for the past half-century. The research also brings to light the challenges facing FTSE100 companies, whose pensions balance reached a record deficit of £96bn in mid-2009. Furthermore, IFSL highlights the shift from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (...