Irish pension schemes with holdings in the US stock market have enjoyed an exceptional return of up to 62 per cent since the euro was launched in January 1999. During that period, according to a report in this month's Irish Broker, the US stock market has risen by more than 22 per cent, but Irish investments have benefited by a further 40 per cent due to gains as the euro weakened against the dollar. These figures emerged recently from the Society of Actuaries and the Society of Investment Analysts. The Irish Broker report says if global growth slows and equity markets fall, companies may be called upon to provide extra cash for their pension funds.