UK

HOW TO BE A CONTRARIAN

Standard Life Investments is planning to launch a fixed income version of its popular Global Absolute Return Strategies (GARS) fund.

The Co-op may sell its £18bn life insurance business in a re-organisation instigated by new CEO Neville Richardson.

US private equity group JC Flowers is lining up bids for at least four UK building societies as part of an ambitious plan to create a 'supermutual' that could be partially floated in London in five years.

A position in BP has wiped 10% off the dividend growth on the £580m JO Hambro Capital Management UK Equity Income fund for 2010.

Skandia has handed Aviva a £8m mandate within its £62m UK Strategic Best Ideas fund.

There are still opportunities in the UK market despite a low level of economic growth, according to Slater Investments' CIO Mark Slater.

Allianz RCM's new CIO of UK equities Jeremy Thomas has overhauled the investment process on three UK portfolios, making them more concentrated.

Small caps have begun to perform for Axa Framlington's George Luckraft following two tough years in which they dragged his fund to the bottom of their peer groups.

The new so-called 'currency vigilantes' hit sterling hard yesterday, on a day when gilt yields dropped to a new record low.