Reuters UK- Investors are responding to the sharp falls on equity markets around the world by shifting from what are now being seen as vulnerable emerging markets to relatively safer developed ones.

The moves — which can be seen in a variety of investment flow data — are evidence that an earlier belief that emerging economies and markets could decouple from troubles in the dominant U.S. economy is on rocky ground.

In its monthly poll of fund managers, released last week, Merrill Lynch noted that there are now more investors overweight U.S. equities than there are those who are overweight emerging markets.

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Tags: combination-of-the-two, emerging-market, investment-arm, pariah, pergam-finance, respondents, uk-investor

CityWire.co.uk- Skandia has launched an offshore protected fund of funds which aims to offer capital protection alongside investment returns from the global equity markets. 

The Royal Skandia Protected Portfolio Investment Global Vista Life fun (PPI Global Vista) will offer exposure to global markets in a protected environment through equally weighted positions in AXA Framlington Emerging Markets Acc fund, Henderson European Opportunities A Acc fund, Invesco Perpetual Global Bond Inc fund, M&G Global Basics A Euro Acc fund and Schroder US Smaller Companies Inc fund.

It will be available to UK investors via Skandia’s offshore portfolio bonds and offers 100% capital protection plus 100% of the quarterly averaged growth at maturity. There is also an enhanced allocation of 104%.

The fund has a fixed five year term and will return the final redemption value to the bond at the end of the term offering the opportunity to reinvest the proceeds into an alternative investment vehicle.

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Tags: africa, cautious-view, emerging-market, investment-vehicles, levies, management-fee, martin-currie, risk-diversification, speculative-investment, uk-investor