Indices

UK - Rail and bus service operator Stagecoach faces a spiralling FRS17 deficit on its pensions scheme, City analysts claim.

EUROPE - Dow Jones is planning to launch the world's first Islamic ETF by the end of this year or early in 2003.

GERMANY - Deutsche Börse has traded its first fixed-interest exchange traded fund (ETF).

UK - National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) investment council chairman Alan Rubenstein is standing down and his replacement is expected to be announced at the Association's annual conference in May.

UK/GLOBAL - BlueBay Asset Management has launched a $150m hedge fund this week - its first product after the company was set up last year.

UK/GLOBAL - BlueBay Asset Management has launched a $150m hedge fund this week - its first product after the company was set up last year.

UK - Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's is disputing many analysts' views that FRS17 poses a danger to quoted company values.

UK - An election is to take place for the NAPF's investment council after nine people were nominated for the five available positions.

GERMANY - Corporate schemes are set to be play an increasingly important role in the future of European pension reform, according to Allianz board member Joachim Faber.

GERMANY - MetallRente, Germany's newest and biggest pension institution, has added workers from the country's textiles, timber and plastics industries, taking the number of potential members past the 4m mark.