Investors are desperate for yield to fulfil their needs but in order to do so they must be convinced to take on more risk, which can cause headaches for their advisers

Private bankers believe returns will be harder to come by this year and are encouraging clients to increase allocations to illiquid investments such as private equity and real estate in response. But do investors have the stomach for it?

The coming year is expected to see a continuation of economic normalisation, which should favour risky assets, believes Eric Verleyen, CIO at SGPB Hambros

The ability to move quickly between asset classes makes multi-asset funds very attractive in an uncertain economic environment, but investors should keep an eye on managers taking on too much equity risk

Fears over falling growth rates and the end of QE have made investors wary of emerging markets, but these economies should receive a boost as the developed world recovers

The Fed’s potential tapering of quantitative easing is just one reason why it is vital portfolios are hedged against currency risk, while private investors can benefit from fluctuations

Upheaval in the European money market fund sector seems inevitable with the very existence of these products threatened by new regulations, while US-based funds could be handed a big advantage

India is being hit harder than most by the flight of foreign capital from emerging markets, but the country must face up to its structural problems if it is to return to growth