France

FRANCE - The Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites (FRR) has awarded US small cap equity mandates, worth a combined €500m ($790.5m) over five years, to BlackRock and Allianz Global Investors.

FRANCE - Almost two million people have signed up for the common retirement savings plan Plan d'épargne retraite populaire (PERP), according to the latest figures released by the French government.

FRANCE - Government endowments helped the Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites' (FRR) assets rise by €3.3bn (US$4.8bn), despite its investments only producing a 4.8% return net of fees.

FRANCE - Pioneer Investments has appointed Fabien Madar as general manager of its French operation.

FRANCE - Société Générale Group has revealed evidence of an "exceptional" fraud in its Paris operations, amounting to €4.9bn (US$7.2bn) and admitted a further €2bn loss related to sub-prime positions.

FRANCE - The annual Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) survey has demonstrated French institutional investors place a high value on 'green' and responsible investing with a heavy focus on the environment.

FRANCE - Transport systems returned to normal as striking rail workers returned to work today, while unions remained divided over the success of the industrial action.

FRANCE - The strikes over proposed reforms to the special retirement regimes (‘régimes spéciaux'), which have affected much of France, may soon be at an end.

FRANCE - Commuters in Paris and throughout the country have braced themselves for a further wave of strikes and demonstrations over President Nicholas Sarkozy's proposed reforms to the special pension regimes (régimes spéciaux) provided to public sector...

FRANCE - Amid promises of a further round of strikes over the proposed changes to French ‘régimes spéciaux' pensions next week, Président Nicholas Sarkozy and Premier Ministre François Fillon have come out fighting.