Two reports released this week indicated that a rise in corporate bond yields has cushioned the decline in the funding status of US corporate pension schemes in the first half of the year.
The pension schemes of large US companies, represented by those in the S&P 1500 index, plunged an additional $10bn into deficit during the second quarter, according to estimates by global consultancy Mercer. The first quarter decline was $70bn. For the entire first half of the year, the decline has been $80bn (â¬51bn).
