Institutional investors expect their benchmark returns to increase by...

Institutional investors expect their benchmark returns to increase by up to 6% in the first quarter of 2005, according to a survey of 68 institutional investors surveyed by Lehman Brothers' U.S. equity strategy division. Roughly 61% of the respondents expect earnings-per-share growth of 5% to 10% in 2005, and just more than half predicted inflation of 2% to 3%.