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		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/stock-market-boosts-pension-schemes.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="A stock market rally has helped halve the UK's pension schemes shortfall" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/min-stock-market-boosts-pension-schemes.jpg" alt="A stock market rally has helped halve the UK's pension schemes shortfall"/></a></p>
<p>The funding shortfall faced by the UK&#8217;s biggest defined benefit pension schemes nearly halved in 2010 on the back of the stock market rally, research has suggested.</p>
<p>The 200 biggest defined benefit pensions, which include final salary schemes, ended the year with a collective deficit of £52 billion, down from £87 billion at the end of 2009, according to consultancy firm Aon Hewitt.</p>
<p>The improvement was driven by a strong stock market performance, with the FTSE 100 Index gaining around 10% in the past 12 months.</p>
<p>But despite the reduction in the deficit, the funding position of pension schemes is still considerably worse than it was at the end of 2008, when they had a £3 billion surplus, and at the end of 2007, when they were just £2 billion in the red.</p>
<p>Marcus Hurd, principal and actuary at Aon Hewitt, said: &#8220;Even though the pension black hole has ballooned over the past two years, it will be a happier New Year for companies preparing their end of year accounts.</p>
<p>&#8220;Many will breathe a small sigh of relief that their pensions deficit has finally started to improve.</p>
<p>&#8220;With pension scheme deficits looking more manageable, now is the time for sensible planning. Companies should ensure that they have the right risk-reward balance and consider whether they should lock in to current deficit levels or continue to play market volatility to seek extra return.&#8221;</p>
<p>Defined-benefit pensions have become increasingly expensive to offer in recent years in the face of investment volatility and increased life expectancy.</p>
<p>The majority of companies have now closed the schemes to new members, with many shutting them to existing ones as well. They are being replaced with less generous defined contribution schemes, under which the individual shoulders all of the risk of investment volatility and increased life expectancy.</p>
<p>Aon recently released research showing that in 2000 there were seven times more defined benefit and hybrid schemes than there were defined contribution ones, but today there are six times more defined contribution schemes than other types of pension.</p>
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