Fitch

Andrew Short asks if absolute return funds are failing to fulfil their remit and whether they still have a role to play in today's fund portfolios

EUROPE - European investors' enthusiasm for high-yield assets declined in the second quarter of this year, though they remain favourites, according to Fitch's latest European senior fixed income investor survey.

A new IMF paper triggered by some European countries' response to pension policy calls for new fiscal indicators that give more weight to the long-term cost of pensions. Raquel Pichardo-Allison reports

IRELAND - Moody's has slashed Ireland's sovereign debt rating by two notches, to BAA3 from BAA1, on its weak economic growth prospects.

GLOBAL - European asset managers are expecting further slow downs in fixed income inflows, but are becoming more optimistic about Asian and European equities, reports show.

EUROPE - European asset managers need to cultivate investor interest in actively managed investment products and strengthen the resilience of their business models to improve post-crisis performance, a rating agency says.

European asset managers need to cultivate investor interest in actively managed investment products and strengthen the resilience of their business models to improve post-crisis performance, a rating agency says.

US - The credit ratings agency Fitch has warned that the potential for steep pension funding increases over the next two to three years could be crippling for US sponsors with underfunded plans.

EUROPE - European investors show increasing concern on euro-denominated government debt due to recent market events and the pressure on the single currency, a survey by Fitch Ratings found.

US - Standard & Poor's, Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings must face the California Public Employees Retirement System's lawsuit claiming their faulty risk assessments on structured investment vehicles caused US$1bn in losses.