Tucking into vol-au-vents stuffed with mozzarella, delegations from 162 countries gathered in Rome this week to attempt to map a way out of the current global food crisis.

Bargains sometimes come with risk. So is now the time to seriously consider investing in companies or funds with an interest in the mineral rich but troubled nation of Zimbabwe.

When recession comes earnings fall and those slippery PE numbers can start making fools out of us. The trick to smart investing, as Mark Slater once commented, was finding those companies where earnings were going up so fast that at some point the company would be re-rated by the market thereby boosting the share price.