Alternative assets offer attractive opportunities

ON ASSET ALLOCATION

The Co-operative Asset Management's Phil Deverell-Smith says due to a bumpy ride ahead for equity markets, alternatives look appealing.

We see economic growth continuing in 2011 as the global economy moves into an expansion phase. Global growth should be around 4.5%, driven by continued growth in developing countries, accelerating growth in the US and modestly below-trend growth in Europe and the UK. Corporate profits growth is strong and this will underpin spending, exports from developed to developing countries should continue to grow, while falling unemployment in the West will support consumer demand. The biggest threats to growth come from a resurgence of problems associated with the financial crisis and from the bu...