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The state of corporate profits, balance sheets and valuations make the author confident that 2011 is a much healthier environment for U.S. equities than 2008. Despite the emotional trauma investors experience in these types of markets, the silver lining is that the capital markets are forcing policymakers to confront the core issues.

Recent moves by the Fed are more symptomatic of the economic malaise and not the cause. As a result, their effect on the markets is fairly unimportant. The equity markets are weak not because of low rates but because of the characterization by the Fed and many market prognosticators that the economy is so much weaker than expected.

The lack of emphasis on jobs has caused unemployment to remain high and become increasingly structural. Structural unemployment typically lasts longer and, as workers lose basic skills, becomes less susceptible to monetary and fiscal measures. That, unfortunately, is where the nation finds itself.

While things may very well turn out well for risky assets in the coming months, the possibility of a messy European outcome or for further political and economic turmoil in the U.S. is significant and cannot be ignored. Emerging economies, while not immune to the travails of Europe, Japan and the U.S., remain resilient and their stock markets offer...

While high yield spreads are likely to remain volatile until Europe's problems are resolved, the purge of high leveraged credits during 2008 and 2009, coupled with a lack of aggressive re-leveraging of balance sheets thereafter, should limit the severity of the next default wave absent a severe recession or systemic bank failure in Europe.

As the balance of growth shifts from developed to developing nations, the world clamors for natural resources. Land capable of satisfying that demand can help investors reduce portfolio volatility and protect principal while providing steady income or appreciation as well as a hedge against inflation.

Senior investment professionals look beyond the near term and develop five-year forecasts for economic activity and financial market instruments, including fixed income, equities, real assets and alternatives. Their work can serve as a guide to risks and thematic developments that bear watching by investors.

Several mega-trends point to significant growth in the energy sector. These include the development of unconventional reservoirs; the increasing service intensity of finding, developing and producing oil and gas; the exploration and development of ultra-deep water and other frontier areas; and the monetization of stranded gas resources worldwide.

Difficult financial times are likely to continue, affecting all aspects of the economy and the markets, but the high-quality subsector of the municipal market is not at risk for significant defaults or losses. Debt burdens are relatively light, and annual required payments are often senior to most other budget items.

The authors believe the U.S. economy is likely to continue to grow, albeit slowly; the European Union is not likely to fracture; and the emerging economies, including China and India, are likely to continue to grow fast enough to help the global economy grow at a near normal pace.

This latest report in the Barclays Wealth Insights series, 'Evolving Fortunes', builds on the findings of earlier research with an in-depth analysis of how the global distribution of household wealth is likely to change during the next decade.

This paper tackles 3 key questions in relation to UHNWIs: What is the economic contribution of Non Doms to the UK? How likely are they to respond negatively to tax reform, and what are their options; Finally, how fair is it for the rest of society that ultra high net worths don't pay their fair share of tax, and yet they benefit from the privilege...

In the fourth such report in conjunction with the EIU, Barclays examine the true value of wealth and the choices wealthy individuals make in seeking to enjoy it. The report also considers how luxury brands are responding to the changing requirements and expectations of an ever expanding customer base for whom time in particular is becoming an incre...

We believe that the problems associated with government indebtedness are more serious than on previous occasions when government debt was at similar levels because of poor demographics; the extent of private sector leverage; the global nature of the recession; independent central banks and the absence of capital controls, which make it more difficu...

This press release reports on the pre-crisis boom for some of the world's leading private banks whose asset growth was driven by net new money and the seemingly inexorable rise of global equity markets.