NETHERLANDS – Dutch pension funds and insurers’ fixed income portfolios returned –0.2% in the third quarter of 2005, according to the national statistics office.

The figure compares to a 4.3% in the second quarter, the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek said.

Pension funds realised more than €20bn from equities in the third quarter - a return of 7.1%, against 7.5% in the second quarter.

Pension funds and insurers’ total portfolio rose by €35bn to nearly €958bn.

“At the end of the third quarter, 87% of the total portfolio of pension funds was invested outside the Netherlands,” the CBS said in a statement. “For insurance companies this was 50%.”

Non-euro countries accounted for 59% of foreign investments of pension funds.

Funds and insurers’ investment in real estate has fallen slightly, by €1bn to €22bn.

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