Protecting against stock-market declines is a top priority for many investors. But with lower-volatility stocks looking expensive today, will they get the job done if equities fall from new peaks?

Stock markets in emerging markets (EMs) have gotten off to a rough start this year after a challenging 2013. Valuations have fallen and volatility remains high. So should investors add exposure to emerging markets—or is it better to steer clear?

It’s been a long, hard slog for value stocks lately. I’d say we’re long overdue for a value recovery. But what would it take?

The laborious pace of the US recovery has inevitably fostered comparisons with Japan. But we find several reasons why a protracted slump like Japan’s is unlikely, as my colleague Gerry Paul argues below.

During the market crisis of 2008–2011, traditional equity style strategies such as value and growth underperformed the markets, often by wide margins. But our research shows that there was a way to diminish the negative impact of market turmoil on portfolio returns.

We believe that emerging markets often offer better growth prospects than most developed markets. But, as my colleague Morgan Harting argues, many investors are not exploiting the full potential—often because they are afraid of volatility.

Equity investing is facing a crisis of confidence. After several years of high volatility, disappointing returns and the failure of conventional diversification, the fear of equities is pervasive. After all, how can anyone rely on equities to meet future targets when extreme market turmoil can destroy years of careful planning in a heartbeat?

The potential return for taking risk in emerging-market stocks hasn’t been this attractive in decades, as my colleague Henry D'Auria explains below.

Several key indicators have bolstered our confidence in the outlook for equities, as my colleague Kevin Simms explained in an article first published on Institutional Investor.com.

Mexican equities have far outperformed Chinese equities over the past 20 years, although China’s economy has left Mexico’s in the dust. Why? China managed its currency tightly, Mexico did not. For more on the relationship between GDP growth and equities—and the investment implications—see my colleague Morgan Harting’s guest post on FT.com.

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Given the skimpy yields on bonds, the opportunity in equities has rarely been more provocative, at least according to one fairly reliable indicator, as my colleague Gerry Paul ably argues below.

Equity-income investing can be highly rewarding, but it is not without its potential pitfalls. The rules of careful stock-picking still apply.

We see two compelling drivers of strong growth for tech stocks ahead, even if the economy weakens, as my colleague Scott Wallace explains.