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U.S. farmland continued to increase in value in the third quarter of 2008, although at a slower rate of 2 percent, compared with a 14 percent uptick in the previous quarter, according to this report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. At the same time, agricultural credit conditions improved over a year earlier. Looking forward, economists ex...

Life insurance policyholders are understandably concerned by the collapse of AIG and the ongoing crisis in the financial services industry, but insurance company analysts do not see an insolvency risk among other providers. Indeed, they express confidence in several safeguards designed to protect the interests of policyholders, says this new white ...

An unprecedented low in the purchasing manager index suggests China faces an imminent negative growth shock. New orders and new export orders fell sharply; import orders look very poor; and input prices are dropping. The PMI tends to be volatile, a Credit Suisse report notes, but it has a decent track record of predicting the direction of the econo...

The United Nations' 2008 World Investment Report states that developing and transition economies attracted nearly $600 million in foreign investment in 2007, a 25 percent increase from the previous year. Much of that money came from trans-national corporations, but much more is needed, particularly to shore up the infrastructure of these nations. T...

The downturn in the global real estate market ended over-performance and returned property values to more realistic, historic values. But lower prices can be a benefit for investors who had limited real estate holdings or were priced out of the market previously. This report from State Street Global Advisers explores potential opportunities in the ...

Investors who are looking to reduce risk and increase investment returns may want to consider owning farmland, according to this article from AgraShares. Across the past 40 years, owning and leasing a farm produced an average annual rate of return of 11 percent, comparable to the rate of return from stocks.

Mortgage defaults and the ongoing credit crunch are a challenge, but they have created opportunity for investors in distressed debt. Indeed, 51 percent of the investors surveyed by Debtwire for Bracewell & Giuliani report that say they see bargains in distressed debt.

While frontier markets have yet to be recognized as emerging economies, these countries often are emerging rather than stagnating and can provide diversification for global portfolios. This report from Frontier Market Asset Management examines the current state, potential and challenges of frontier markets ranging from Estonia to Zimbabwe.

A volatile financial market draws different responses from wealthy investors. While some increase their cash and property holdings, others switch financial advisors or become overly preoccupied with the performance of individual investments, which leads to over-trading. This report from Barclays Wealth explores how personality traits and cognitive ...

International Financial Services London offers its take on the international market for private wealth in a report titled "International Private Wealth Management 2007." IFSL analyzes the size, structure and key developments for the market of individuals with at least $1 million in investable assets.

Affluent Gen X households have markedly different attitudes about finances than other affluent families, investing more aggressively and owning more managed future funds, exchange-traded funds and socially responsible funds. This is according to Northern Trust's annual Wealth in America study, which examines topics for all age groups, such as asset...

Wealth management firms and banks must transform their client reporting systems to satisfy investment and web-savvy clients. That's according to a report on next-generation wealth management from Actuate Corp. and IBM Corp. The report examines the growth of the market and outlines some of the challenges confronting wealth managers.

A new market analysis from Fortigent LLC assesses international currency trends and offers recommendations for sophisticated investors looking to mitigate risks to their portfolios over both short- and long-term time horizons.

Of all the possible sources of inflation, a rise in commodity prices is the greatest threat. A separate threat also exists in the form of rising real interest rates. An ideal portfolio hedge is one that should do well in both environments but still is expected to generate an attractive rate of return in a normal economic environment.

This comprehensive research report sizes up current and future economic activity and the outlook for inflation in seven major regions of the world and then examines in detail the implications for investments in equities, fixed income, currencies, commodities and real estate globally.