New-found optimism sets in as industry sees peak of recession

Analyst confidence begins to return as govt rescue plans expected to affect economies

A degree of optimism is returning to the asset management space as confidence grows that the recession is peaking. Pain during 2008 was driven by banks, hedge funds and structured investment vehicles destroying wealth across the board. Lehman Brothers' collapse last autumn and the market volatility which followed drove share price movements, and with fear being the predominant factor during late 2008, markets experienced a flight to quality as investors sought refuge in assets they perceived to be the least risky. M&G Global Leaders fund manager Aled Smith says: "In such periods of an...