Global investors are significantly more positive on the outlook for Europe after the European Central Bank's announcement of quantitative easing to reflate the region's economy, according to the BofA Merrill Lynch Fund Manager Survey for February.

Risks to Russia's economy in 2015 have been increased by this week's extreme volatility in the rouble and the sharp rise in interest rates, Fitch Ratings says.

Global investors are keeping faith with equities while raising cash as markets enter the volatile year-end period, according to the BofA Merrill Lynch Fund Manager Survey for December.

African equities are perceived to be very risky. But the surprise conclusion of new Robeco research is that the volatility of African equities overall is lower than in the other emerging markets regions.

In some ways, the rise of China has been too good to be true. Its economy has grown with breakneck speed for decades (an average of 9.1% a year since 1994, with a lowest rate of 6%) – if we can believe the official accounts.