The financial crisis took a heavy toll on the financial industry, as well as individual investors. As a result of the turmoil, companies are scrambling to develop new products to meet new needs and new expectations, and working hard to earn back the trust that was lost.
Now that the economy is beginning to show signs of strength, investors are returning. However, the lessons of the crisis remain and there are increasing government regulations. Investors are more thorough in their research and investment decisions and they are more demanding of information from investment companies before they commit. Both vendor and customer have been changed by the events of the past couple of years and it is evident in the trends running through the industry.
These themes are reflected in this report including discussions about:
- How the changing economy is affecting the patterns of investment in different products
- How investor expectations are changing and how companies need to develop products that will meet those needs
- Regulatory changes – how the government is focusing heavily on watching over Wall Street and its products, and how the industry will look for ways to accommodate it
