Irish funds were opened to the Chinese market via the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) regime for the first time on October 23, following a memorandum of understanding between the respective regulators.

The next 12 months look set to be turbulent for private equity funds as credit markets remain seized-up even as bargain multiples come to market. Many are warning that institutional investors faced with problems elsewhere will have to reduce their commitments. By Martin Steward.

European equities are good value for investors with a long-term view, writes Arvind Sabharwal.

Strategic diversification – and governance constraints – has offered little protection over recent months and could get in the way of exploiting opportunity, according to two leading consultants. By Martin Steward.

Private sector exposure to mortgage-related securities must be reduced to bring about the end of the credit crisis, writes Christopher Probyn.

Money market funds hope that having central bank funds to fall back on will calm investors' fears and therefore avoid the need to draw on the reserves. By Nat Mankelow.

In light of the recent depreciation of the real, it is time to reassess Brazil's monetary stability, writes Floris Kleemans.

Despite fears of a recession, many of Asia's emerging markets have strong economic fundamentals, writes Yong Moon Kim.

Hapless British investors, rocked by the turmoil in financial markets, should have been rushing to embrace traded life policies (TLPs) as a non-correlated asset class delivering potential returns of around 8-10 per cent per annum. By Henry Smith.

Hedge funds have been cast as the villains who caused the market to collapse when in reality they are the victims of the credit crunch. By Henry Smith.

Things are probably going to get worse before they get better but there may be opportunities out there for adventurous investors, writes Henry Smith.

Pension funds are keener than ever to diversify asset allocations in light of the financial crisis, and also plan to review their choice of investment managers, writes Vicken Berberian.

Derivatives promise to reduce volatility and downsize risk, and have delivered in the financial crisis, writes Theo Kocken.

Emerging-markets giant Mirae Asset Global Investments has taken its expertise out of Korea and into the wider Asia Pacific markets. Wilfred Sit dicusses the roll-out of the Sicav versions of its core strategies for European retail and institutional investors. By Martin Steward.

Jacques-Philippe Marson, CEO at BNP Paribas Securities Services believes that investing more in new technology sets the firm apart.By Henry Smith.

As the consensus that ESG factors impact long-term financial performance grows, so do the challenges of quantifying and integrating those factors into the optimisation of traditional diversified portfolios. By Martin Steward.

Hermes offers two distinct services around governance and shareholder engagement: Equity Ownership Services pools investors’ assets behind active engagement programs, while Hermes Focus Asset Management offers products that extract the alpha from those processes. By Martin Steward.

If an ESG policy is to be coherent, it will eventually have to apply across an investor’s entire portfolio – including alternative investments. But are the relevant questions being seriously formulated yet, let alone being asked? By Martin Steward.

Triple A liquidity funds got the fright of their lives when a US fund ‘broke the buck’ this year for the first time in history. However simpler portfolio construction and tougher risk management is seeing investors’ faith return. By Nat Mankelow.

The expanding role of the middle office, particularly in terms of risk management, is leading some money managers to consider outsourcing part, or all, of their responsibilities. By Nat Mankelow.

Steve Cheng, head of solution, investment control at DSTi discusses the benefits that the new Investment Control solution can bring to clients.

Investors looking to maintain exposure to equities but avoid the extremely high levels of volatility in the markets are making this a busy year for derivatives, from plain vanilla hedges through to more complex products. By Ceri Jones.

Hedge funds are struggling to attract investors and Asia-based funds are suffering more than most. Managers hope that avoiding riskier strategies and a reduction in fees can draw in an increasingly sophisticated client base. By Henry Smith.

ETFs have enjoyed a strong end to 2008 and with numerous new launches planned for next year the industry's success looks set to continue. By Nat Mankelow.

Economic decoupling is real and emerging markets are likely to lead the world out of the downturn, say our top managers. But despite both being bottom-up and defensive, their responses to risk and opportunity have been quite different. By Martin Steward.

Execution algorithms can give clients greater control but the expensive technology and lack of liquidity in the markets have stalled their growth. Nevertheless, market participants believe their use will increase in the future. By Rekha Menon.

Fund administrators have massively broadened their global reach but no one house can provide all the services required in every corner of the world, and whether they admit it or not, they still require local partners. By Gerry O’Kane.