Alternative investments

On July 27, 2012, FocusShares, a unit of online discount trading firm Scottrade, has severed ties with its PR firm, MWW Group.

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.

Raleigh, N.C.-based Hatteras Funds is hosting its own alternative investments road show. The series of forums across the U.S. will allow advisors, home office research teams and consultants to meet the managers of the Hatteras alternative mutual funds, which include Alpha Hedged Strategies Fund, Long/Short Equity Fund, and Long/Short Debt Fund.

A new report by research shop Cerulli Associates is sure to make a few subadvisors smile.

The starter's pistol is about to be fired for the swaps industry.

Estee lauder’s chief executive officer, Fabrizio Freda, is giving BlackRock, Inc.’s Board of Directors a makeover. Well, sort of.

Mass affluent clients represent the sweet spot for every wealth management firm's business. So what's on their minds right now?

Scottsdale, AZ-based Longboard Asset Management has launched the Longboard Managed Futures Strategy Fund (WAVIX), a trend following offering.

On July 24, 2012, Discounted exchange-traded fund provider Vanguard now tops the field of leading ETF providers among advisors in another category: favorable impressions.

On July 24, 2012, Newly formed alternative asset management shop Madison Park Capital Partners, LLC has hired Erik Ogard, former Ddrector of Multi Strategy Solutions for Russell Investments, as a managing principal.

On July 23, 2012, Exchange-traded funds have experienced tremendous growth over the past decade but not all of that growth is positive, according to new research from Vanguard.

On July 23, 2012, Raleigh, N.C. – based Hatteras Funds today revealed that it is hosting its own alternative road show, constructed as a series of forums across the U.S. for advisors, home office research teams and consultants to meet the underlying hedge fund managers of the Hatteras alternative mutual funds (Alpha Hedged Strategies Fund, Long/Short Equity Fund, and Long/Short Debt Fund).

On July 20, 2012, Alternative mutual fund Forward is now one of the portfolio strategists on the investment platform of Genworth Financial Wealth Management, Inc., where it will introduce its new multi-asset income product to advisors.

Asset managers predict alternative mutual funds to make up 9.7% of mutual fund assets in five years, and rise further to 15.8% of assets in 10 years, according to new research by Cerulli Associates.

On July 19, 2012, Asset managers predict alternative mutual funds to make up 9.7% of mutual fund assets in five years, and rise further to 15.8% of assets in 10 years, according to new research by Cerulli Associates.

BlackRock Inc.’s Laurence D. Fink, who heads the world’s largest asset manager, said his firm needs to capture a larger share of the deposits that are going into U.S. equity exchange-traded funds.

On July 18, 2012, Want exposure to managed futures? Think multi-manager funds, according to a new white paper penned by William Marr and Alexander Rudin, principals of Ramius Trading Strategies.

On July 16, 2012, Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC plans to list the PowerShares DWA SmallCap Technical Leaders Portfolio on July 19, 2012 on the NYSE Arca.

On a three to two vote, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged the nation's exchanges and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority with developing and maintaining a consolidated and auditable trail of every order, cancellation, modification and executed trade on 13 national stock exchanges, 10 options markets and through more than 200 broker-dealers.

Perhaps it was only a matter of time before Morningstar decided to put its stamp of approval, and disapproval, on alternative mutual funds. And by all measures, it should.