Christoph Hott

“The decision by the US Federal Reserve to cut interest rates at the end of October had an impact on Asian markets, boosting short-term ­sentiment. Share prices consequently rallied, with China – which is heavily weighted within our fund pick Templeton Asian Growth – showing the strongest performance of the local markets. The ongoing problem in the subprime lending segment in the US has shifted into investors’ focus, ­resulting in lower stock markets. Hence, issues such as falling profit margins or rising inflation tend to heighten our concern about market prospects.”