Alternative investments

Columbia Management is planning to further expand into the actively managed ETF space with 17 new ETFs.

BMO Asset Management is changing the investment objectives of several ETFs. The biggest change involves switching two of the ETFs to more recognized indices.

BlackRock remains the behemoth in ETF/ETP assets under management, with a global market share of over 38% and a U.S. market share of more than 40%.

U.S. debt yields put you asleep. But you better be on your toes, with the adventure involved in emerging market bonds.

As sales of ETFs boom, the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy has released an investor bulletin on the investment vehicle.

WallachBeth Capital, an institutional brokerage firm, has created the WallachBeth Healthcare Research Group.

Equity fund investors appear to be exiting from mutual funds and investing in ETFs instead. Fixed income funds are a different story.

First Trust Advisors has rolled out the First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund and the Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund.

On August 10, 2012, U.S. debt yields put you asleep. But you better be on your toes, with the adventure involved in emerging market bonds.

Money-market fund companies obtained permission to support 155 of their funds during the financial turmoil of 2007 and 2008, and six more funds got the same go- ahead since the crisis, according to a list provided to Congress by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

In August 10, 2012, The global exchange-traded product market attracted total inflows of $22.6 billion of inflows in July, according to the ETP Landscape report released by BlackRock.

Carlyle Agrees to Buy TCW (Trust Company of the West) from Societe Generale

Operating margins in the global asset management industry have recovered from their 2009 lows, at a median 32% in 2011, yet they remain below pre-crisis levels, according to new research by U.S. Institute, McLagan and Casey, Quirk & Associates.

On August 9, 2012, Hatteras Funds has rehired Michael Hutten as an executive director, responsible for leading sales initiatives in the Western U.S. region, focusing on investment consultants, Registered Investment Advisors, and broker/dealers.

On August 8, 2012, Operating margins in the global asset management industry have recovered from their 2009 lows, at a median 32% in 2011, yet they remain below pre-crisis levels, according to new research by U.S. Institute, McLagan and Casey, Quirk & Associates.

On August 8, 2012, Emerald Asset Advisors has restructuring its flagship allocation fund, formerly dubbed the EAS Genesis Fund, to a more focused alternative investment mandate.

On August 7, 2012, AdvisorShares will begin trading its QAM Equity Hedge ETF (NYSE:QEH) on Wednesday, August 8.

Online asset management company Covestor has added alternative asset managers to its website.

As equity markets sputter along at an uneven pace, many investors are looking at alternatives to help manage volatility and potentially generate more predictable income. One alternative investment has been commercial real estate, which during the late '90s and early '00s was an attractive asset class.

Joe Barrato is chief executive officer of Arrow Investment Advisors, a developer and distributor of mutual funds that are built around "targeted" levels of risk.