Standard Chartered fills the gaps

Hong Kong's equity market has been in good shape lately. But Standard Chartered bank, one of the territory's biggest retail banks and a major third-party distributor, says investors still want principal-protected equity-linked investments

After suffering from several economic and financial crises between 1997 and 2003, Hong Kong's equity market is finally back on track. Although the stock market is booming, the demand for equity-linked products remains strong. According to Cindy Fu, head of investment, wealth management, at Standard Chartered bank in Hong Kong, investors are using structured products to fill in the gaps between long-term investments such as mutual funds and pure cash deposits.

"Investors are looking for