THE BIG INTERVIEW

SVM Asset Management has invested about half its fund of funds assets in investment trusts that have remained at excessively wide discounts to NAV since the credit crisis.

Architas' Caspar Rock has restructured the Asian equities portion of his £64m Multi-Manager Growth fund to smooth returns.

SVM's managing director Colin McLean has boosted his funds' exposure to gold companies by about 2% this month, trimming European financials and basic resource stocks to finance the switch.

Axa Framlington's Nigel Thomas has boosted mid-cap exposure in his £1.6bn UK Select opportunities fund on expectations of superior growth prospects for the FTSE 250 this year.

The manager of the Newton Asian Income fund has added to its holdings in Taiwan based on the strength of company balance sheets, and expectations of strong earnings growth.

Gam is planning to launch its environmental fund in October, marking the group's first foray into single manager environmental investing.

Newton's head of fixed income Paul Brain is concerned about the European Union's system for bailing out struggling countries.

Axa Framlington's Nigel Thomas has boosted mid-cap exposure in his £1.6bn UK Select Opportunities fund on expectations of superior growth prospects for the FTSE 250 this year.

A fall in mining shares on the back of drops in metal prices led the FTSE down 0.8% to 5,202.85 points in early trading.