Ukraine crisis and Chinese growth worries don't threaten benign outlook for global equi...

UKRAINE CRISIS AND CHINESE GROWTH WORRIES DON'T THREATEN BENIGN OUTLOOK FOR GLOBAL EQUITIES - FOSTER The FTSEurofirst has opened up a touch this morning following another record close with the S&P 500. Asian markets are at three-week highs. Meanwhile tensions between Ukraine and Russia continue to heat up. Group Head of Research at Brewin Dolphin, Guy Foster, says the Ukraine crisis and worries over Chinese growth don't threaten the benign outlook for global equities. LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MAY 14, 2014) 1. BREWIN DOLPHIN, GROUP HEAD OF RESEARCH, GUY FOSTER, SAYING: JOURNALIST ASKING GUY FOSTER: "I want to get a general take on risk sentiment given where we are in China, India's elections, situation in Ukraine. How are you taking you these bigger external factors into consideration now?" GUY FOSTER: "Well so the Ukraine obviously has been something of a drag on markets in the first quarter moving into the first half of the year. But ultimately it's just underpinned what everybody I think has really felt deep down which is that the fundamental story for equity markets is really an extremely benign one. So even when you've got a big external factor like Ukraine kind of weighing on things, then you see markets able to at least hold their own and now starting to show real signs of pushing ahead. In terms of, say, widening that out to China, China probably is seen as a big negative or a big potential negative in growth terms for investors. But at the same time, it's also kind of weighing on prices. And so if you look at the dynamics of the markets of weak inflation and reasonable growth, then again like China's not derailing that. If anything it's kind of adding to it. And just this latest news that the People's Bank of China is just taking its foot off the brakes slightly, is really underpinning that sentiment." JOURNALIST: "You're a global strategist there. What markets do you like in particular right now in the equities side?" GUY FOSTER: "Well we still favor the developed markets. We have obviously like so many other people had a really favora...