Open to innovation

With interest rates likely to remain low over 2003, the demand for yield-enhancing products is set to continue. Mia Trinephi looks at the most popular investment products of 2002, and the innovations likely to emerge in the coming year

With interest rates still perched at record lows, yield enhancement is likely to remain the key word on Asian investors’ lips in 2003. And many of the same products that flourished in Asia last year are likely to remain popular, perhaps with slight twists and alterations. “Structured products will continue to be popular this year, as investors look to enhance returns,” says Frédéric Lainé, head of fixed-income and derivatives, Asia, at Crédit Lyonnais, in Hong Kong. “As long as the shape of the