After developing six key distribution criteria for its European invasion, Pimco claims that it now has ambitions to become one of the largest partners in guided architecture. Elisa Trovato reports

In the brave new open architecture world, bankers must be able to provide good advice on long-term investment trends and not engage in the big push. Indeed, they should only spend a small proportion of their time giving guidance on simple products backed by technology. Yuri Bender reports

Cash may have been viewed as a simple solution to market volatility, but an abundance of new products to choose from has led to an increasing sophistication in the asset class, as Elisa Trovato reports

Francois Millet, head of index-linked products sales at SGAM Alternative Investments, explains how after the recent explosion of exchange traded funds, the innovative ‘structured ETFs’ can address the need for security and performance while creating new asset allocation tools

Kevin Thompson, head of money market funds at Standard Life Investments, tracks the rise of the funds over the past 10 years and how regulatory intervention interferes with their development. Also, as the products proliferate, a grey area has formed over exactly what constitutes a money market fund

The market correction that hit equities and bonds in May echoed across to emerging markets, prompting many to withdraw funds. But investors remain hopeful over the medium to long term, writes Simon Hildrey