Alternative investments

By the end of last year, assets under management in global alternative investments hit $6.5 trillion, having grown seven times faster than traditional asset classes over the previous five years. This is according to a new McKinsey & Company study that predicts this growth represents only the beginning of a new wave of assets moving into alternatives.

The Triex Tactical Long/Short Fund, a separate series of the Northern Lights Fund Trust, is shutting down on September 27.

Herb Morgan has a good barometer to tell how hot the market for exchange-traded funds is getting.

Preparation is the key to a successful audit. The following guidelines will help your firm smoothly navigate the regulatory audit process and manage any possible surprises.

BlackRock is cutting fees for its large exchange-traded funds next quarter in response to pricing pressure from the Vanguard Group, Bloomberg reports.

Herb Morgan has a good barometer to tell how hot the market for exchange-traded funds is getting.

Sudi Mariappa, the former bond head and Managing Director at PIMCO who worked closely with founder Bill Gross, will join GLG, the investment management division of London-based Man Group PLC to manage the firm’s renewed push into fixed-income hedge funds.

Loomis Sayles is making a hasty name change to one of its funds after losing out on a federal lawsuit.

Forward has expanded its institutional and intermediary sales forces with a slew of new hires.

Global assets invested in exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products reached a record $1.76 trillion through the end of August 2012.

As investing in alternatives such as real estate, private equity funds, hedge fund strategies and commodities grow in popularity, the way these are being used by institutions and investment advisors is changing.

Keith Bernard, former Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, at Pax World Management, has left the firm, Money Management Executive has learned.

As investing in alternatives such as real estate, private equity funds, hedge fund strategies and commodities grow in popularity, the way these are being used by institutions and investment advisors is changing.

Multi-manager shop Virtus Investment Partners has added Rampart Investment Management, which specializes in customized options strategies for institutional and high-net-worth clients, as a wholly owned affiliate of Virtus.

The two Republican members of the Securities and Exchange Commission said they are not opposed to further reform of the money fund industry, but that changes advocated by Chairman Mary Schapiro "were not supported by the requisite data and analysis.''

First Trust Advisors has launched an ETF based on the CBOE S&P VIX Tail Hedge Index.

Investment advisory shop Arnerich Massena has promoted Scott Dunbar to managing director of advisory services.

Alternative investments should comprise as much as 20%, 30% or even 50% of a client's portfolio, according to an online panel of analysts and portfolio managers hosted by Envestnet.

Global exchange-traded fund assets have increased by 13.9% from $1.35 trillion to $1.54 trillion year-to-date, through the end of July 2012.

With a new head of research on board, Lipper announced a new set of initiatives for the second half of 2012 that involves building out research and analytical tools.