Equities

Aviva Investors is to launch a third structured product based on the performance of the FTSE 100 next month, after its two predecessor funds gathered over £150m.

The leadership of global economic growth has shifted to emerging markets, especially those in Asia, according to Invesco chief economist, John Greenwood.

Hail Dorothy, the wicked witch is dead! In the classic movie, the Wizard of Oz, this is the ending of one era and entering of another.

Over the course of the year, the Japanese stock market has continued to rise from its March low point, helped by a general improvement in investors' risk appetite and the release of more positive economic data.

At the start of 2009, the outlook for European equities was bleak. Banks had ceased lending to each other, liquidity was absent from the market and credit had become the scarcest commodity of all.

With fund flows recently seeing a recovery, the trend in UK stock markets has seen home investors shifting their bias into emerging markets. Is this just a drop in the ocean or the start of torrential investment downpour?

Stock markets across Asia have rebounded strongly in 2009, outperforming the developed world, and the prospects continue to look encouraging.

HSBC Global Asset Management will merge its £26m American Growth fund into its £99m American Index portfolio following the former's struggle to outperform its benchmark.

Investment Week Conjecture

Skandia Investment Group (SIG) has awarded a £170m UK equity mandate to Investec Asset Management's Alastair Mundy.