Indexation investment specialists are moving into active management and attracting billions in net new assets throughout Europe.

Pension funds are turning to active products offered by traditionally passive houses, such as State Street Global Advisors and Barclays Global Investors. Their quantitative systems, which are conventionally used to construct and monitor passive portfolios, are demonstrating impressive active returns and tight risk-controls, which are crucial for pension funds looking to recover losses and secure their liabilities.