Morgan Stanley

After a year of criticism, structured product providers have formed an association they hope will counteract the negative publicity.

Morgan Stanley has launched a suite of six-year structured products.

iShares has launched the S&P India Nifty 50 index fund on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Gartmore has confirmed it intends to float on the London Stock Exchange next month.

Leading structured product providers and distributors have created the UK Structured Products Association in a bid to give a unified voice to an industry that has come under fire in recent years.

Invesco Ltd, the parent company of Invesco Perpetual, will acquire Morgan Stanley's retail asset management business for $1.5bn.

Anger over bank bonuses gathered a new head of steam yesterday as the country's top regulator urged lenders to pare back their payouts and news emerged of a £5m "golden hello" for 11 traders at the state-backed Royal Bank of Scotland.

The FTSE 100 kicked off the fourth quarter on a positive note in early trading, though shares dipped slightly towards mid-morning.

Structured products have seen a surge in popularity this year due to the industry's prompt reaction in clarifying counterparty risk following the Lehman bankruptcy, plan providers say.

Directors of Britain's top companies secured an average 23% increase in pension payouts in 2008 to almost £250,000 a year, despite most of the firms suffering steep falls in profits, The Guardian says.