Sometimes you can’t help but feel sorry for the Swedish AP funds. Even without having published the results for 2008, the national buffer funds have constantly been torn apart in the Swedish media for making the wrong investment decisions and their presumed losses over the course of the year. A few days ago, a Swedish newspaper reported that the AP funds’ estimated losses from private equity investments could add up to another SKr1bn – on top of what already was lost in 2008. It is widely expected that all of the four global AP funds will declare losses of about a quarter of their assets when they present their annual returns. AP2’s results are already in and they show disastrous returns of -24 per cent.

Iceland’s pension funds are establishing a private equity fund that will invest in domestic companies hurt by the financial crisis.

Investec Asset Management is redoubling its efforts in the Nordic region.

DIP, the DKr25bn (€3.35bn) Danish Pension Fund for Engineers, is considering selling all of its direct property assets and putting the money into real estate funds.

A planned merger between two Icelandic pension funds has been put on hold as a result of the financial crisis.

Investment consultancy Bfinance is expecting a boost in its Nordic business as pension funds are reallocating assets and re-evaluating current managers.

Laila Mortensen has taken over as chief executive officer of Industriens Pension, the Danish pension fund for industrial workers. Since 2001, Ms Mortensen has been a part of the fund’s management team and headed up the implementation of a new IT-system. She joined the fund in 1997 as an actuary. Ms Mortensen replaces Erik Adolphsen, who retired in the beginning of February after 15 years as CEO.

Having set the gold standard for sustainable investment worldwide, Norwegian institutional investors are now hoping to roll out its recent initiative of influencing listed companies, writes Caroline Liinanki

With the delayed effects of Iceland’s recent financial collapse likely to surface in the coming months, the government moves to protect its pension funds and rescue its economy, writes Spencer Anderson

Despite below-target returns that could threaten the sustainability of the Finnish pensions system, fund managers point to gradual growth as a sign that 2009 will see better results, writes Reeta Paakkinen

The increasing focus on cutting administrative costs may have led the industry to ignore growing apathy and a deficit of financial literacy among savers. Hjalmar Tjan investigates

Following painful losses for Sweden’s default pension fund, a renewed drive to slim down the unprecedented number of other funds to choose from has emerged. Spencer Anderson investigates

After withstanding the worst of the economic storm and emerging with limited damage from its use of financial instruments, Danish ATP’s CEO, Lars Rohde, tells Hjalmar Tjan how the company has protected its reserves and explains his critical views on hedge funds

Results puzzle industry analysts as one asset class takes the Nordic region by storm, writes Caroline Liinanki

Iceland's Stapi emerges from the wreckage intact, thanks to its conservative policies, writes Spencer Anderson

Danish pensions company PFA is changing all aspects of its operation to help prevent losses, writes Hjalmar Tjan

Calls for lower administrative costs and the need to strengthen weak positions in the wake of the global financial crisis have meant mergers are increasingly attractive for Nordic funds.Caroline Liinanki investigates

With only minor regulatory changes on the cards for hedge funds, a mass exodus of Nordic investors may hit the model, writes Spencer Anderson

If an ESG policy is to be coherent, it will eventually have to apply across an investor’s entire portfolio, including alternative investments, writes Martin Steward. But are the relevant questions being seriously formulated yet?

Firms battling to get ahead in 2009 would be well advised to take risks in the high-yield marketplace, writes Andrew Lake, director of high-yield investments at F&C

The timing looks right to increase allocations to high-quality credit as investors are being ‘paid to wait’ for markets to normalise, writes Amna Karim

While developed economies are in similarly deep water, the degree of fiscal malady varies across eastern Europe. Karine Hirn and Marcus Svedberg investigate