United States

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.

Quantitative easing has been aggressively deployed in the UK and US for some months now. But will the effect be what was hoped?

Most investors are accustomed to reading about the gold and oil markets, but few have considered the benefits of diversifying their portfolios using agricultural commodities.

The S&P 500 hit a low of 677 on 9 March 2009 but has since recovered strongly.

The strong Wall Street rally between March and May reflected relief among investors that the official policy response to the crisis had prevented a repeat of the Great Depression.

A new cycle is emerging in technology and with it comes the opportunity for further growth and outperformance. Removed from the epicentre of the global credit crisis, the tech sector looks well positioned

From where we sit at the half-way point of the year, it seems that to advocate an argument on whether the market is bullish or bearish is as finely balanced as it has been for a long time.

As job losses mount, it's time to dispel some myths. The rapidly rising unemployment rate is causing many consumers to curb spending and repair their overleveraged balance sheets.

The Waxman-Markey bill, passed at the end of last month, sets out the basis for a new negotiating stance and will boost prospects for reaching an agreement in Copenhagen in December, without having to wait for US approval

Seismic changes in the way the US tax authorities intend to tax the returns on American senior-citizen-based life settlement funds have caught many fund managers on the hop