Standard & Poor's

US - The aggregate deficit of S&P 1500 pension plans fell by $15bn during June, new figures from Mercer show.

GREECE - Standard & Poor's has slashed Greece's long term credit rating from B to CCC, amid fears private sector debt proposals will amount to a default.

Emerging market debt funds saw outflows in the start of the year but concerns over the strength of the developed world pulled investors back, as Lynn Strongin Dodds reports

GLOBAL - Have you missed the biggest stories in pensions this week? Find out below, as we list the top 10 most popular stories on www.globalpensions.com over the past seven days.

GLOBAL - Funds-of-hedge-funds managers are beginning to target smaller investors as larger institutions increasingly invest directly, research by Standard & Poor's suggests.

Jay Cooper explores the myriad ways Canadian pension funds are implementing de-risking strategies

US - Pittsburgh had the outlook on its debt revised to negative from stable by Standard & Poor's, which cited rising financial pressures tied to the city's pension system.

CZECH REPUBLIC - The Czech government is considering setting up a "low-cost" state-run pension fund to oversee people's retirement savings which may put pressure on private pension managers to keep fees low.

EUROPE - Sovereign bondholders will be relegated down creditor lists if European policymakers push through plans for a bailout mechanism, Standard & Poor's warned.

Sovereign bondholders will be relegated down creditor lists if European policymakers push through plans for a bailout mechanism, Standard & Poor's warns.