Are there dark clouds on the investment horizon? Shares in international airlines stuttered last week as volcanic ash swept over continental Europe, halting flights in dozens of countries, and stranding tourists at airport terminals around the globe. Analysts say the Icelandic volcano will dent British Airways’ revenue by some £20m per day. The financial fallout from the eruption could run into hundreds of millions of pounds...

“In a typical stock market cycle the big businesses bounce back first and the quality small and medium cap companies follow,” says Marc Ashton in this week’s Finweek. But it’s often a daunting task to pick from the myriad small- and mid-sized companies that seldom make it to the front pages. You probably wouldn’t even have heard of most of them. But that’s why it’s handy to have someone like Anthony Sedgwick in your corner.

If you shine a light on a cluster of cockroaches, they scatter and hide. But when you shine a light on a cluster of investment banking con men, they simply stare back and reply, "The SEC's charges are completely unfounded in law and fact and we will vigorously contest them and defend the firm and its reputation." As the entire investing world knows by now, Goldman Sachs is the latest cockroach...

What’s next for shares? They’ve seen a blistering run since the low of last March. But these gains remain under the constant threat of being wiped out if stimulus measures are withdrawn or a double-dip recession takes hold. With two major crashes in the past decade, investors are understandably concerned about risking their cash in equities. Enter the structured product.