If a single remark by a politician or central banker can send the stock markets soaring or plunging then it is no wonder that investors are distracted by daily headlines. However, in a four-part series that begins today with fixed income, Financial News looks at whether investors might be better advised to shut out some of this short-term noise and take the long view.

That is not to say that the severity of the current financial crisis is to be sniffed at. The appetite for safe assets is at its highest in centuries, if the ultra-low yields on bonds issued by supposedly solid governments are any indication.