Equities

Aberdeen Asset Management's Hugh Young said dotcom-style bubbles are forming in some Asian income stocks as valuations look increasingly stretched.

The price of risky assets is approaching pre-crisis levels, with investors putting a greater degree of risk on the table in Q3 despite a weakening economic outlook, according to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).

Equity markets have been given a boost by the latest monthly jobs figures from the US which show a further fall in the unemployment rate in November.

UK stocks crept higher ahead of today's Autumn Statement, with the FTSE 100 nearing 5,900 points as miners lifted the market.

Shares in oil major BP fell today after the US' Environmental Protection Agency temporarily blocked it from bidding for new contracts in the US.

The election of Shinzō Abe as Japanese prime minister could be the catalyst for the region to outperform after years of flagging returns, prompting asset allocators to review their underweight exposure to the country.

Henderson's top performing bond fund manager John Pattullo has said the popularity of bond funds will not start to wane until investors see some hefty losses from portfolios.

SMART MONEY

M&G's Steven Andrew has moved to invest in Chinese equities in his Episode Income fund after labelling the region the cheapest equity market.

GLG's technology fund managers Philip Pearson and Anthony Burton have been adding substantially to their position in US giant Apple after a brutal sell-off recently saw it shed over 20% of its value.