Stung by the recent crisis, wealthy individuals are looking to take more control over the management of their portfolios, writes Elisa Trovato.

Europe may be struggling with low growth expectations, but merger and acquisition activity in the Asia-Pacific region is on the rise, pushing up valuations and creating a seller’s market, writes Stephen Wall.

Robeco’s Alex Neve explains the importance of identifying investors’ true exposure to emerging economies, and discusses the fund house’s relationship with owner Rabobank. Yuri Bender reports.

Aïda Molineux talks to Yuri Bender about Northern Trust’s family office service, which aims to provide wealthy clients with a greater control over investments, while offering them a custody and trading platform.

Anne Buchardt, Danske Bank

Word of mouth recommendations and referrals from within banking networks can help client-adviser relationships to start off on the right foot, writes Elisa Trovato.

Andy Halford, Kleinwort Benson

With equity based investments back in demand, structured products are once again attracting investors, although concerns about liquidity mean transparency and simplicity are at a premium, writes Ceri Jones.

Matthew Robinson, Executive Director at Morgan Stanley, looks back at how the structured product market has evolved over the past 18 months in relation to counterparty risk concerns.

Joe Harvey, Cohen & Steers

Clients have been moving back into property funds, but asset managers are treating the recovery with caution, writes Ceri Jones.

There are still plenty of opportunities in the retail property sector, writes Vicky Watson, Investment Director at Scottish widows investment partnership.

Richard Carlyle, Capital International

PWM invited eight leading thinkers in private banking and asset management to comment on the currently popular emerging markets investment theme, to discuss the drivers behind performance and to assess the risks lurking on the horizon in an asset class, that despite common perception, is far from homegenous and much more fragmented than many commentators care to admit

Guy Monson, Sarasin & Partners

Private investors looking to access growth in Asia’s emerging markets should consider investing in global funds, therefore taking advantage of Western companies looking to source increased profits from the region, writes Elliot Smither, although some local specialists remain unconvinced.

Each month in PWM, 12 top European asset allocators reveal how they would spend €100,000 in a fund supermarket for a fairly conservative client with a balanced strategy.