Lloyds Bank’s private banking division, which invests the money of wealthy clients, has said it will start to reduce its exposure to bonds as their value is set to fall. Instead, it will start to increase investment in absolute return funds to provide the steady income which bonds once did. Absolute return funds are liquid vehicles which employ strategies similar to hedge funds, such as short selling and investing in futures, options and unconventional assets, but are generally less risky and expensive.