Most investors are diversifying their investments, according to new research from Barclays Stockbrokers. Just over a fifth do so through different asset classes, just under another fifth through different markets and 40 per cent through different sectors. The rest employ none of these techniques – 22 per cent said they don’t yet have a diversification strategy. Melissa Jenner, director at Barclays Stockbrokers, said: “Given recent market volatility it is essential that investors have a balanced portfolio. This used to be achieved by investing in a basic mix of asset classes such as cash and bonds, but now investors can exercise increasingly sophisticated techniques to maximise their returns. In the last year we have seen the growth of clients using products such as CFDs, Investment Notes and ETFs and we can see demand for these products continuing to increase.”