Frank Copplestone, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, looks at how the range of custom indices available from structured product providers has evolved over recent years to reflect the changing needs of investors

Jane Balen Petersen, Barclays Capital

With investors’ confidence returning in recent months, appetite for structured products, which were almost fatally wounded by the financial crisis, is on the rise

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.

Clients are still interested in algorithmically constructed indices that enable them to access hard to reach assets, writes Ceri Jones, but they want to know what they are buying

Investors’ appetite for risk is returning as they look to take advantage of rises in global stock markets, and they are turning to simple structured products as a way to gain exposure, writes Ceri Jones

Investors are showing a renewed interest in structured solutions, but are now looking for simpler and more transparent products with shorter maturities than they would have gone for in the past, writes Elliot Smither

As global market volatility reaches extreme levels and most asset classes suffer heavy losses, bankers are engaged in the arduous work of finding Sharia-compliant ways to offer companies and investors some protection, writes Philip Alexander