Shedding light on the dark world of alternative investments

As investors seek more diversification in their portfolios the alternative sector is becoming an increasingly prominent asset class within the multi-asset universe. However, unlike other asset classes such as cash, emerging market equity or UK gilts, this class is markedly unspecific; for want of a better description, it is a ‘catch all' category. The opacity that surrounds the alternatives bucket is one of several issues that will need to be addressed, either directly or indirectly, by advisers ahead of the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) at the end of the year...