investment

Underlying longevity and investment risks of final salary schemes could see more schemes using inflation swaps and bulk annuities to try and reduce their liabilities.

Top UK shares are down this morning putting the FTSE 100 index off by about a point to 6,197 in early trading.

The third annual joint Association of Investment Companies/IFA Promotion poll of around 200 fund managers and IFAs has found the industry looking generally positive about prospects next year, albeit with some differences.

Consumers are more concerned about interest rates than at any time since November 2004, according to the Consumer Barometer published by Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets.

The National Association of Pension Funds is to carry out a "thorough review of the Myners principles" over the next year.

Funds under management and administration in Guernsey rose by 5% in the last quarter to reach a new high.

Britons are more likely to be thinking about saving than spending in the run-up to Christmas this year, research from L&G suggests.

Next year could see the start of a long-term restriction in US and UK economic growth rates sparked by excessive personal and government debt loads, warns Aberdeen Asset Management.

Chancellor Gordon Brown has just confirmed early in his 2006 Pre-Budget Report Isas will continue to exist to 2010 and beyond.

Nearly 80% of retail investors are confident the stock market will do well over the next 12 months, according to a TD Waterhouse survey of about 1,000 UK adults who also traded stocks and shares in the past year.