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Cash in on crops

FEATURE: With global population growth placing ever-greater demands on the world's food supplies, agricultural investments could be an important store of value for your portfolio.

Polar Capital ready to buy

FUND PROFILE: Polar Capital Technology anticipates a good year for technology stocks

2. The FTSE 250

FEATURE: The FTSE 250 index is a crucial index because it's very much focused on UK plc as an economy

1. The UK

FEATURE: The 100 stocks in the FTSE 100 comprise the largest quoted companies on the London Stock Exchange ? it's the premier index for large, blue-chip companies.

7. MSCI emerging markets

FEATURE: This comprises all the world's main emerging stock markets in one composite index

9. Japan

FEATURE: When most investors talk about Japanese stocks they usually talk about the price movements in the Nikkei 225 index

5. FTSE World exc UK

FEATURE: This index offers one tracker that follows a big, aggregate index of nearly all the developed world's stock markets

8. The US market

FEATURE: Nearly every internationally diversified portfolio should have some exposure to the US

3. The FTSE All Stocks Gilt

FEATURE: This index gives exposure to a diversified basket of UK government bonds, across all maturities

The world's best markets

FEATURE: You can construct an ideal core portfolio using ETFs, says David Stevenson. But before you do you need to know which markets to track.