Investment Strategies: sponsored by Barclays Wealth

Latest News and Analysis of Investment Strategies

• September 3, 2010 - Structured Products Will Win Back Clients If Cash Yields Remain Poor - Credit Suisse
  

  Wealthy clients sitting on large piles of cash and liquid assets are likely to turn to structured products in the next six months if current market conditions persist, according to one of the top private bankers at Credit Suisse, Reuters reports. "We see the current desire to hold cash and the little interest in holding complex structures as a short-term situation.

• August 30, 2010 - Bernanke Leaves Door Ajar For More Stimulus As Data Disappoints
  

  The wealth management industry, along with the rest of the financial sector, will be waiting for further signs of clear economic news this week after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke opened the way last week to stimulate the economy further, due to fears that growth is fading. On Friday, Bernanke, speaking to policymakers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was quoted by media reports as saying that "policy options are available to provide additional stimulus" to the US economy, should it be necessary.

• August 31, 2010 - Calmer Waters Ahead For Investment In Shipping - Mercer
  

  Editor's note: occasionally, this publication looks at specific businesses from a broad investment point of view. Mercer, the US-based financial services, advisory and consultancy giant, lays out what it sees are some of the benefits - and risks - of the market for shipping.

• August 25, 2010 - Chasing Yield Is A Mistake, Warns Aberdeen
  

  Chasing high-yield stocks for global equity income is a mistake in the current low-interest environment, according to Aberdeen Asset Management, as high yield companies are typically where dividends are most vulnerable. Due to significant cuts in the banking sector, aggregate dividend payments fell by £9 billion in UK companies, down to £58.

• August 25, 2010 - Get Used To Below-Normal Market Returns - HSBC Private Bank
  

  HSBC Private Bank, which like its peers is trying to calculate the risks of a possible “double-dip” recession, argues that investors should not seek refuge in cash as returns will underperform other assets, and argues that investors should be exposed to income-generating sectors such as dividend-paying stocks. The bank predicts that over the next two to three years, global economic growth will be below recent average levels, which means equity returns will come in at between four to seven per cent.

Click here for more Investment Strategies news >>

---

                                                                

---

Latest Investment Strategies Insight Features

• August 23, 2010 - Racehorse Auctions - Investors Must Watch The Three-Year Cycle
  

  Editor's note: this is the second part of a series about the investment side of racehorse ownership, auctions and the breeding of bloodstock. To view the previous article, click here. Racehorse ownership would not be regarded by many as an investment.

• April 12, 2010 - A Look At Structured Finance Investment In 2010 - The Beryl Consulting Group
  

  This paper will summarize Beryl Consulting's 2010 outlook and hedge fund portfolio construction for the structured finance sector in light of the events of the past two years. We will first provide an overview of the effect of the global crisis on US structured finance hedge fund managers with a particular focus on residential-mortgage backed (RMBS) and commercial mortgage-backed (CMBS) securities. Based on our analysis of credit fundamentals, we will identify areas of attractive return opportunity in this space for the next two years.

• March 23, 2010 - Rethinking Risk And Diversification
  

  “First, we make a guess. Then we compute the consequences of the guess. Then we compare the consequences to experiment.

• March 11, 2010 - Active Vs Passive Investing - The Debate Rolls On
  

  Increasingly there is a move by portfolio managers towards using passive investment vehicles to meet investment objectives in clients’ portfolios. HSBC Private Bank, for example, recently launched a discretionary portfolio service for clients based on exchange traded funds late in 2009. Fund manager T Bailey is offering a low cost multi-asset class fund that gains exposure to equities, bonds and commodities purely via ETFs and other index trackers.

• February 2, 2010 - Forex Gains Ground As Asset Class For Wealth Managers
  

  Foreign exchange is high on the agenda of many wealth managers. With weakness across many leading currencies enduring and volatility set to rise in 2010, various strategies are being employed to mitigate the impact on the value of clients’ portfolios. This is of particular concern for clients with investments outside of their base currency or with international interests.

Click here for more Investment Strategies features >>

Job of the Week

• Private Banker - Chinese Market

Latest Positions

• Assistant Trust Manager
• Investment Management Executive Director
• Senior Private Banker - Channel Islands
• Head of Branch Discretionary Manager
• Investment Manager