Feature

Driven by global trends and risks

The jury is out on emerging markets right now, and investor sentiment is as volatile as the countries and regions themselves argues Spike Hughes, CEO of Cohesion Investments

The UK may have one of the highest dividend yields globally with the spread above bonds near record highs, but Blake Hutchins, portfolio manager on the Investec UK Quality Equity Income fund, asks if this could soon be under threat.

The FTSE All-Share index is off some 18% from its high in April 2015 at the time of writing, yet having called the top of the market successfully the key question to answer is when do we want to start to invest our high levels of cash?

Russia is undoubtedly under huge economic pressure as a result of low oil prices and economic sanctions.

A unique aspect of China's financial system has been the rapid accumulation of bank deposits over the last decade, but what is the sector's future?

The biotechnology sector has been hit particularly hard by the risk-averse sentiment sweeping through global stock markets and after reaching a high in July 2015, the Nasdaq Biotechnology index shed about one-third of its value.

If you buy the 30-year inflation protected gilt today and hold it to maturity you are guaranteed to lose 24% of your real capital. Where should you put your money instead?

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was punished by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down. Europe's equity investors must know how he feels.

While developed market government yields may be at near record lows, volatility is not. We feel there is little compensation for that volatility - last summer's back-up in yields being a good example of the risk of playing the 'low for longer' game.