Emerging markets remain better placed to succeed in today’s volatile global economy, though they would benefit from a return to growth in the West

Rather than dealing in asset classes, investors should be thinking in terms of categories of risk to protect their portfolios

High net worth individuals’ investable assets have fallen this year, while the costs associated with managing that money is on the rise

With the number of Facebook users potentially close to reaching its peak, perhaps now is the time for the company to branch out and revolutionise the banking sector

Didier Duret, Chief Investment Officer at ABN Amro Private Banking (left) and Alan Higgins, Chief investment officer at Coutts private bank, debate whether the turmoil in the eurozone should see investors heading for equities or buying bonds

Threadneedle Investment’s vice-chairman, Sarah Arkle, believes the current environment is throwing up plenty of opportunities for those active managers willing to take on moderate risk

Jamie MacLeod, CEO of Berry Asset Management, made his name in the world of funds, but is now looking to conquer the wealth management space by growing the footprint of his boutique business

Restoring client trust has become a priority for wealth managers, yet its payoff may not be immediate

Dirk Wiedmann, Rothschild

Wealth managers are battling to protect clients from the ongoing instability in the eurozone, and are building exposure to currencies that are generally percieved as safer bets

Manuela D’Onofrio, UniCredit

With client confidence at rock bottom, many continue to seek security in government bonds, although corporates offer better yields and may prove a safer bet

The consequences of an unmanaged Greek exit from the euro would be so severe that central banks should continue to support the currency, creating attractive opportunities for credit strategies, according to fixed income specialists ECM

Having deleveraged balanced sheets and refinanced themselves on favourable terms, corporates look to be in a healthy state. But slow growth in Europe means investors should favour those with a global reach

However, it is important to address discrepancies within the corporate bond market across countries through a maturity schedule.

The increasingly diverse performances of different commodities is forcing fund managers to go overweight on those they feel will outperfom

Chew Soon Gek, Credit Suisse

Private bankers are confident developing markets will continue to outpace the West, and finding dividend paying stock is central to many strategies playing the Asian growth story

China’s economic growth may be slowing but this is, at least in part, due to deliberate government policy and should not scare off potential investors

Japan may have been hit by numerous problems, but some believe the country is due for something of a boom, led by the reconstruction following last year’s earthquake and tsunami

Private equity may have fallen out of favour in recent times, but investors with medium-term horizons can find attractive returns in the asset class, as long as they select managers with proven experience

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