Given that 2013 was a strongly positive year for most equity oriented portfolios, it is tempting to conclude that it was a rewarding year for all ‘risk assets’. But this would be a wholly incorrect deduction. The past twelve months in investment markets have been more subtle than that. The fact that developed equity markets – using the US S&P Index as a proxy – rose by 32.4% in 2013, belies the fact that most asset classes actually fell!