Asian consumer and financials dominate debate

Little mention of US recession at recent forum highlights scale of fund manager concerns about current state of financial markets across the world

It is a sign of just how worried fund managers are about the state of financial markets when a US recession is seen as a contributory factor rather than the whole story. Delegates at Investment Week's recent Northern Markets Forum heard comparatively little on a topic that traditionally would have been centre stage. Instead they heard a great deal about financials and rising inflation, Asian consumers and the need to diversify investment strategies in volatile times. Outlook for financials The consensus was for financials to come good but not everyone agreed now is the time to buy. ...