The global economy is now in the middle of a "perfect storm". Financial markets and economies around the world are facing an increasing economic malaise. Real estate may be a place to hide from the worst of the volatility.

The selloff in financial stocks - the worst for any major industry group since the tech bubble burst in 2000 - could be over, according to Barron's. UOBAM United Financials Opportunities Fund tries to leverage the recovery potential. Subscription opened again for 1 to 12 September 2008 trade dates.

The United Progress Alliance (UPA) victory in the parliamentary confidence vote has provided political stability and a smoother path for future economic reforms.

India, Thailand and the Philippines reported slower economic growth in the quarter ending June. Malaysia, Chile and Poland bucked the trend, posting a faster-than-expected expansion on the back of strong domestic demand.

Fast Track is an innovative unit trust that invests into a well-diversified pool of global Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) such as iShares, Lyxor, Vanguard and Streettracks. Sales charge only 1% at dollarDEX.

The investment objective of the fund is to generate growth in the long term through investment in gold and metal related commodity instruments globally.

We are moving office to Cecil Street. Phone numbers will remain unchanged. Clients should note the old Suntec office will no longer be in use from 5 September 2008.

Useful for gradual investment of lump sums (not only for regular savings), Value averaging plans (VAPs) are an innovative and powerful way to take advantage of volatility. They automatically invest more when markets are lower, and less when markets are higher.

In the last 20 years, we have seen emerging markets grow dramatically in terms of the number of companies listed as well as the rise in market capitalization and daily turnover of those companies.

Asian equities rebounded after falling for the past four weeks. Sentiment improved on the back of an upward revision to US’ economic growth in the second quarter.