Multi-asset

The FTSE 100 gained more than 80 points in early trading while global markets leapt higher overnight, lifted by the Federal Reserve's latest round of quantitative easing.

Apollo Multi Asset's Tom McGrath considers the possible unintended consequences of Fed chief Ben Bernanke unleashing a third round of quantitative easing at the upcoming meeting.

Wealth manager Brooks Macdonald has announced a spate of acquisitions alongside a hike in profits which have jumped 17% to £8.5m year-on-year.

Invesco Perpetual has appointed David Millar, Dave Jubb and Richard Batty to form a new multi-asset group as part of a drive to expand its business.

Smith & Williamson Investment Management is launching a range of risk-rated funds via SimplyBiz's investment service Verbatim.

Investment boutique Dominion Fund Management has launched a global trends product, designed to capitalise on the growth of ten specific global sectors.

BP has moved to offload a chunk of its oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico in a deal worth $5.5bn (£3.4bn), as the oil major continues to raise cash to cover the cost of the catastrophe in 2010.

John Paulson, the billionaire hedge fund manager, is reported to have pared losses in August after a difficult year for his strategy.

AGRICULTURE

For right or wrong, it is an incontrovertible fact that more and more investors, as well as their advisers, are making the shift to using passive funds as part of their diversified portfolios.