The growing economic strength of developing nations has tilted the balance of world financial power and given rise to a new class of consumers in Asia and Latin America. When facing the challenges of a changing world, Claudia Reim asks how can investors identify the companies and regions that can sustain an advantage over the long term?

While there are certainly risks involved in unhedged foreign currency investment, active currency management can reap solid returns and offer diversification benefits to a fund’s portfolio, writes Claudia Reim

With the dark clouds of the global financial crisis parting slightly, Amna Karim investigates what record corporate credit spreads mean for investor gains.

While before this recession active management was one of two options, Amna Karim explains why post-crisis it is the only choice for success

A more predictable market environment means we could start seeing some consistent returns from hedge funds in 2009, writes Amna Karim

The timing looks right to increase allocations to high-quality credit as investors are being ‘paid to wait’ for markets to normalise, writes Amna Karim

With most emerging market talks turning to China and India, Japan is one neglected economy that should be on investors’ radars, writes David Townshend.

With short-term benefits such as heavily discounted bonds and encouraging long-term signs in emerging market debt, global markets have a lot to offer.

James Norman and Colm O’Cinneide of DB Advisors reveal how risk-based indexing offers an alternative method of passive index investing