Analysis

The most recent global economic data suggests a general softening in growth activity - led particularly by Europe.

The gloss has come off the emerging markets' story in the past year or so. Performance has disappointed, and of the BRIC countries, only India appears to be a story investors want to talk about positively.

China will likely ratchet up the stimulus further, and alongside this week's launch of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Connect programme, Chinese equities could speed ahead, explains ETF Securities' Nitesh Shah.

Has the commodity further to fall yet?

Wage inflation has been considered the missing piece in the US economic recovery. But waiting for wage rises before raising rates will be a grave policy error, argues Toby Thompson from Brooks Macdonald Funds.

Investors have punished stocks with even small exposure to Russia, while disregarding political risk closer to home, argues NewSmith's Jean Maigrot. He explains which sectors investors ought to be long and short.

With the price of Brent crude at a four-year low, all eyes are on how OPEC will react at its crucial meeting tomorrow. In the meantime, Premier's Chris White highlights the stocks to benefit from lower prices.

The AIM market has been battered this year, dragged down by falls of more than 50% in some of the index heavyweights. Hargreave Hale's Oliver Bedford highlights two lesser-watched stocks lighting up the market.

Poor performance from European cyclicals has been at odds with improving economies, but GAM's Niall Gallagher believes forced deleveraging from hedge funds is behind the stock price weakness.

On-shoring manufacturing jobs and the shale gas boom have fueled an industrial renaissance in the US. Nordea's Jeff Vancavage examines the prospects for a long-term boom.