Legal and General has decided to cut all initial service charges (ISCs) on direct fund sales, in a bid to persuade those with spare disposable income to take the plunger in the investment sector.

In doing so, it becomes the first investment provider outside of the fund supermarkets to have zero per cent ISCs across the board.

Those investing their full Isa allocation will therefore save £320 on a fund that previously carried an ISC of three per cent.

Claire Evans, marketing director at Legal & General Investment, said that introducing this offer to direct online sales in March was extremely well received, so it only seemed sensible to broaden the scope.

She explained: "Extending this to offline direct sales will benefit a greater proportion of our customers, especially those wishing to transfer into our funds.

"This change gives investors ample time to take advantage of the zero per cent ISC period before the Isa transfer deadline of 5th April."

Schroders Global Asset Management is recommending investment in US stocks during the ongoing uncertainty of 2012.

Investors are taking a cautious approach to the markets at the moment, as there is little movement and few areas that offer clear potential for returns.

This is because the eurozone debt crisis rumbles on, making investors more wary and even having an impact on the emerging Chinese economy.

Virginie Maisonneuve, head of global and international equities, said that this volatility is likely to continue throughout the coming year, so stocks in strong US firms – where the economy is recovering slowly but surely – may be a more sound investment than anything Europe has to offer.

"We continue to pursue companies which, irrespective of the short-term market uncertainties, are benefiting from longer-term global trends and show strong global competitiveness," Ms Maisonneuve added.

Schroder's Global Equities business manages £10.7 billion of funds on behalf of clients globally.

The decision taken by Standard and Poor's to downgrade the credit ratings of nine eurozone members was largely expected.

Some had predicted that the markets would react badly to the downgrades, but according to Barings Asset Management and F&C Investments, investors were well-prepared for the announcement and as such it had little effect.

There was even a small trading rally when it was announced that France's credit rating had only fallen one notch to AAplus – a drop of two was expected.

Both Barings and F&C agree that it is important to move on from talking about ratings downgrades and instead focus on resolving Greece's debt problem.

Key to this is the level of private sector involvement to be used in stabilising Greece's debt, with F&C claiming that an agreement must be reached soon.

"In the last few weeks it has become a matter of urgency because Greece has to repay €14.4 billion (£11.9 billion) of bonds in March and the PSI needs to be agreed this month if it is to be implemented before the due date in March," it stated.

Emerging market debt will continue to offer attractive investment opportunities in 2012.

This is the view of J.P. Morgan Asset Management's (JPM) head of emerging markets debt, Pierre-Yves Bareau.

The expert claims that during the volatile months of 2012, the emerging market debt sector continued to produce returns and, despite the risk aversion of the final quarter, ended the year as one of the standout performers.

A total return of 8.5 per cent was observed in the external hard currency debt index, while the corporate debt index finished three per cent higher.

Mr Bareau expects that 2011's investment theme will continue into this year, with investors being more demanding with their economic fundamentals.

"Emerging market economies will not be immune from the growth slowdown in developed markets, yet growth will still significantly outperform developed markets," he said.

JPM recently suggested that the markets are engaged in a "phoney war", with the economic backdrop still sluggish and dealers having to adapt to new regulatory requirements.

The markets have entered a "phoney war", according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

While there has been a number of new issuances with attractive valuations in the new year, not all credit offerings are equal, the firm is warning.

This is due to the fact the economic backdrop remains sluggish and liquidity is declining, as dealers struggle to adapt to new regulatory requirements.

"Ultimately the dynamic between continued central bank measures, quantitative easing, liquidity operations and lower rates and concerns about systemic risk from Europe has created a phoney war," the firm states.

However, for an active global manager with strong research credentials, JPM believes this is actually a "decent environment".

One JPM fund looking well-placed to take advantage of these conditions in 2012 is the Strategic Bond fund.

Experts at Old Broad Street Research have just awarded it an A rating in recognition of its flexibility and low volatility.

Rathbones recommends keeping an eye on investment trusts this year, as they are said to have the potential to outperform other unit trusts over the next few months.

They will be aided, Rathbones head of multi-asset investments David Coombs explains, by the advent of the Retail Distribution Review, and should be well-equipped to take advantage of growth opportunities in the emerging markets.

Other features making investment trusts an "attractive proposition" include lower fees due to reduced distribution costs and immunity from the problems caused by large liquidity flows.

Yet Mr Coombs says there are certain issues that need to be addressed in order to unlock their full potential, explaining: "There's under-investment in supporting secondary market pricing by some asset managers.

"There has also been a lack of market-makers willing to take risk positions, and many investment trusts lack liquidity."

However, the latest data from the investment Management Association shows that net fund retail sales continued to slow towards the end of 2011, with conditions likely to continue into 2012.