Last quarter I wrote about unusually low investment market volatility in 2017, and the likelihood that 2018 would not pass so calmly. On cue, a wave of volatility hit at the beginning of February, caused by a tantrum in the US bond market, and has continued since. Clearly, this year will be defined by more frequent ups and downs, so investors should remain wary.

One of the most favoured sayings used by wise investors is: ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket’. It’s a reliable and prudent notion – and here are good reasons for it....

For much of the past decade these quarterly reviews have contained references to the scourge of market and economic volatility, as we’ve been passing through an unusually disruptive investment and economic era. Thankfully, in 2017 volatility dissipated, (at least temporarily!). This quieter period can be illustrated by...