“Weak consumer data has raised the question as to whether Abe will be able to go ahead with the second consumption tax rise next year. However, the underlying domestic economy is still improving and more stimulus measures may also be introduced,” says Simon Somerville

Steve Drew, Head of Emerging Market Credit at Henderson Global Investors has provided a brief analysis on the first round of the Brazilian elections over the weekend. He believes the incumbent, Dilma Rousseff, will be re-elected president.

The fallout in fixed income markets following the departure of Bill Gross from “mega manager” PIMCO has added a new dimension to the challenges facing fixed income investors. The bond market's concerns of the last few weeks are noteworthy, and mostly justified, but should also be viewed as an opportunity to reflect on portfolio strategy, liquidity risk and firm risk.

Normalisation of monetary policy in the West is the most significant challenge facing markets after an unprecedented period of low interest rates. Given the levels of debt, the process will necessarily take a long time and the repercussions on the rest of the global economy still remain unclear, according to Miles Geldard, manager of the Jupiter Strategic Total Return SICAV fund at Jupiter Asset Management.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) today announced that it will eliminate its hedge fund program, known internally as the Absolute Return Strategies (ARS) program, as part of an ongoing effort to reduce complexity and costs in its investment program.