Having been burned by a downturn in equity markets, by 2003 investors were looking for a method of diversifying their portfolios. Since then, the rise in interest in alternative asset classes has seen these products move towards the mainstream end of the market, writes Elisa Trovato

Emerging market local currency debt offers investors access to local markets, but with several crucial differences to hard currency debt – local currency debt is less volatile and can provide investors with the upside from real currency appreciation, write Rob Drijkoningen, Martijn Oosterwoud, Bart van der Made

Once the preserve of the wealthy investor, hedge funds have come a long way since they began as unregulated offshore funds. Now retail investors can access the real returns available from these investments explains David Stuff, head of UK retail structured products at Barclays Capital

As investors flock to exchange traded funds, providers are offering ever-more sophisticated products. However, market sectors are currently losing out to geographical locations, writes Simon Hildrey