News

Former government minister Lord Peter Mandelson has taken on a senior advisory role at US investment bank Lazard.

Russia is now in the same investment risk category as DR Congo, Sudan and Iraq, according to research from risk analysis firm Maplecroft.

US investment firm Brown Advisory has added a sterling hedged share class to its American fund, removing potential currency risk for UK investors.

Kotak Mahindra is launching an Indian infrastructure investment trust in a bid to benefit from the $1trn the Indian government has pledged to spend in the sector within the next few years.

Fears of a bubble forming in bond markets are misplaced, say fixed income veterans Paul Causer and Paul Read, managers of Invesco Perpetual's £6bn Corporate Bond fund.

Skandia Investment Group (SIG) has launched a local currency emerging market debt fund in order to benefit from the long-term prospects for the asset class.

Castlestone's Arrash Zafari has added defensive positions to the recently launched Next 11 fund as investors become more concerned about equities over-heating in emerging markets.

Neptune's Rob Burnett has moved from an underweight to a neutral position on banks for the first time since 2009 on his £1.12bn European Opportunities fund in the belief a solution to the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis is "imminent".

Fund managers have applauded the deal struck between beleaguered oil giant BP and Russian group Rosneft, with some topping up their positions last week.

Discounts across the entire investment trust universe narrowed significantly last year from an average 11.6% to 9.2% on the back of equity markets strengthening, according to research from Oriel Securities.