schroders

With a plethora of new product launches, the Absolute Return sector is a ripe hunting ground for investors seeking to cash in on the cyclical popularity of the peer group

Today's market sentiment could not be much more different than it was seven months ago, when investors stared into the abyss.

Some readers may not be aware that some of the most well-regarded fund managers in the UK also run investment trusts.

Newly-launched IMA Absolute Return sector reaps rewards from market slide, with 23 of 26 funds achieving positive returns

Top performing high-yield managers attribute good results to high-yield convictions

Henderson's Bill McQuaker, Schroders' Andrew Yeadon and Sarasin's David Vickers have been selected to run funds for IFA Foster Denovo's new investment company, Sequel.

The Japanese market has benefited from the improvement in investor confidence we have seen in recent months, although the weakness of the yen this year has been a negative for sterling-based investors (a reversal of the picture in 2008).

The UK economy is struggling but it is not all bad news in the stock market.

Equity markets have clearly benefited from a dramatic shift in investor sentiment since early March - when the prevailing fear was that what had been a painful recession could escalate into an even more painful and longer-lasting depression.

Schroders has recorded a £2.3bn net retail inflow in the second quarter of the year, as the asset manager's strong start to 2009 continues.