The wealth management industry, along with the rest of the financial sector, will be waiting for further signs of clear economic news this week after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke opened the way last week to stimulate the economy further, due to fears that growth is fading.

On Friday, Bernanke, speaking to policymakers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was quoted by media reports as saying that "policy options are available to provide additional stimulus" to the US economy, should it be necessary.

He spoke on the same day that the Commerce Department revised down its estimate for second-quarter growth in gross domestic product. The economy grew by 1.6 per cent in the period, not the 2.4 per cent annual rate previously estimated.

The data will add to speculation from wealth management strategists about the chances that the US and European economies would be at risk of a “double-dip” recession.

To date, most wealth managers – judging by anecdotal evidence and commentary – are still focusing on wealth preservation rather than growth, given uncertainties about the outlook. Some concerns are not just about fading growth, but about the risks of rising inflation, given the large amounts of quantitative easing from central banks.