After a volatile start to 2012, equity markets have staged a prolonged rally in recent weeks.

A fund manager's age does have an effect on whether they should outperform, with those in their early 40s most likely to beat their peers, according to research from Scottish Widows Investment Partnership's(SWIP) multi-manager team.

CONTRARIAN

SENATE GALLERY

Jemma Jackson of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) looks at the rise of the specialist sectors and explains why closed-ended structures lend themselves to the space.

Boards of trusts should manage premiums as closely as they manage discounts, says Grant Challis, partner at Frostrow Capital LLP.

Three advisers argue the case for investment trusts and reveal some of their favourites.

A number of misunderstandings have put advisers off the investment trust space, but excluding them from clients' portfolios is a big mistake, says Paul Taylor, managing director at McCarthy Taylor.

SENATE GALLERY

Susanne Willumsen, senior portfolio manager on Lazard's global quantitative equity team, explains how low volatility equities can form part of a credible investment solution.