Gold

Investment managers are beginning to question the value of holding gold for diversification purposes, as its correlation to equity markets soared to 65% this year.

Gold has climbed above the $1,400 mark for the first time since June, re-entering a bull market as disappointing US data and worries over Syria push investors into safe havens.

George Soros has sold down all his gold holdings and has stocked up on unloved retailer JC Penney, nutrition supplement firm Herbalife, and tech giant Apple.

J.P. Morgan Asset Management's Neil Gregson has taken his exposure to gold miners to a historic low of 15% as the sector continues to suffer a torrid period of underperformance.

Hedge funds have heavily upped exposure to gold in recent weeks, viewing the metal's poor relative performance year-to-date as a buying opportunity.

Iain Stewart, manager of the £7.9bn Newton Real Return fund, has added to his gold holdings in the belief the precious metal can still act as a hedging tool in investors' portfolios.

Morningstar has revealed the ten most popular exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the second quarter of 2013, based on the most searched for funds on its website.

CONTRARIAN

Japanese investors have reacted with muted enthusiasm to a sweeping election victory by Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party.

Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, has said he does not understand gold prices or why investors hold it during certain economic environments.