Europe

Investors are now paying to hold European Financial Stability Facility debt, after six-month t-bills sold at a negative yield at auction for the first time ever.

GMO's Jeremy Grantham has said there will be a number of opportunities for investors to snap up discounted European equities, as the crisis continues to roll on.

European equities reached their nadir in 2011 and the market will improve from here, says Odey's Feras Al-Chalabi.

Old Mutual Asset Managers' European equity manager Kevin Lilley is adding exposure to riskier sectors on the continent, increasing his overweight to banks in the view too much bad news is priced in to the market.

John Kennedy has deleveraged his £588m Scottish investment trust, converting its entire gearing component into cash equivalents to shield the portfolio against a further market set-back.

FIXED INCOME

Europe can learn some important lessons from the historical development of emerging economies as it attempts to resolve its sovereign debt crisis, Franklin Templeton's Mark Mobius has said.

The £132m First State Global Property Securities fund has dominated the IMA Property sector over the last five years, being one of only two funds to make a positive return over that period, and has returned 84.5% since 2009.

US v EUROPE

CONTRARIAN