The recent success of the film The Road, a tale of survival on post-apocalyptic Earth, confirms we live in dark times. Nervousness about the future is leading to an increased focus on worst case scenarios – especially among investors.

At first sight, it seems a tad unlikely that anyone would want to sit through The Road, adapted from the novel by Cormac McCarthy - a film in which a father and son trudge endlessly across a devastated landscape, dodging cannibals, death and disease.