Investors still struggling to put fear behind them

LONDON: Many of the world's wealthiest investors remain traumatized by the losses they sustained during the financial crisis and are clutching on to safe, low-yielding assets rather than taking any risks.

Wealth managers say that even after a 75 percent rise in world stocks since March, a lot of clients' money has yet to move. Investors have, in the words of one strategist, become "structurally risk averse."

That is prompting investment managers to seek creative ways to unleash funds held in safe cash positions, and may be the key to sustaining this year's rally in stocks and riskier assets.