Specialist

Industry veteran Piers Denne has been hired by alternative investment boutique Future Capital Partners (FCP) to head up its new business development strategy.

Commodities will be the main focus of investors' strategies next year, driven by demand from developed economies, according to Fidelity asset allocation director Trevor Greetham.

The Liberal Democrats have proposed creating a national infrastructure fund, open to institutional and retail investors, to replace Private Finance Initiatives (PFI).

Interactive Financial Adviser

Investors should switch from gold miners to bullion because the asset provides a stable alternative to currencies and a buffer against ongoing economic uncertainty, says Barings.

Skandia has appointed Cohen & Steers to manage its $300m Reits Global Property Securities fund in place of La Salle Investment Management, which had run the fund since its launch in 2005.

The European Union is considering imposing tough new measures to curb the pay of private equity and hedge fund managers in a further clampdown on the sector.

IFAs are being warned to take a cautious approach to commercial property and ensure the asset class is not mis-sold to clients as fears of a bubble grow.

Two Bear Stearns hedge fund managers have been found not guilty of fraud.

The AIC thinks the EC's proposed Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFD) will result in an increased climate of risk - but is "cautiously optimistic" that it can be overturned.