Alternative investments

ProShares has launched the ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Natural Gas and ProShares UltraShort DJ-UBS Natural Gas exchange-traded funds. The two funds are tied to the Dow Jones-UBS Natural Gas Subindex.

BlackRock has launched three mutual funds that invest in alternative investments, the BlackRock Commodity Strategies, BlackRock Emerging Markets Long/Short and BlackRock Global Long/Short Credit funds.

ProShares has launched the first ETFs in the United States to provide magnified or inverse exposure to VIX futures.

Got downside protection? That's the question many 401(k) plan sponsors and investors are now asking.

Van Eck says ETFs can reflect changes in industry sectors, whereas HOLDRS’ depositary trust structure is static.

ConvergEx Group has launched a new division dedicated to the formation, performance and management of alternative mutual funds.

Russell Investments has added four additional investment discipline indexes to its series, all of which concentrate on small-cap securities.

The latest entrant into the wealth management arena comes not from Wall Street but from just outside Silicon Valley, and is taking dead aim at the Internet brokerage space for higher-end investors with a slick Web-based dashboard, holistic account monitoring and a stable of financial advisers to complement the technology with a human touch.

Fidelity Charitable has created an array of seven investment options offering diversification across asset classes and risk. In addition, Fidelity Charitable has created an online tool to help investors make investment decisions.

Credit Suisse has launched the Credit Suisse Global Equity Market Neutral ETN, its fifth alternative exchange-traded note.

Morningstar will begin ranking and researching managed ETF portfolios by the end of the year, the research firm announced at its second annual ETF Invest Conference in Chicago Thursday.

Analysts at Standard & Poor's are looking to exchange-traded funds rooted in individual countries as a vehicle for advisors and their clients to compensate for sustained weakness in the U.S. economy.

As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

As registered investment advisors and fee-based advisers are challenged by increasing market volatility and declines, they are turning to alternative investment classes and tactical allocation to protect their clients’ portfolios. This was the major finding of a survey of 500 professionals by Jefferson National.

The vast majority of retail advisers now use alternative products or strategies for their clients-but that number is a bit misleading, a new study finds.

Janus has launched the Janus Aspen Moderate Allocation Portfolio, specifically designed for the insurance channel. The portfolio is a fund-of-funds that will invest in other Janus products with a target of 60% of its underlying holdings in stocks and 40% in fixed income.

In an effort to expand its annuity business, The Hartford is expanding into the structured settlement annuity market, providing tax-free payouts to people who receive settlements related to a workers’ compensation or personal injury claim.

Van Eck Global has introduced the Market Vectors Mortgage REIT Income ETF (ticker: MORT).

Keating Capital, a pre-IPO fund, concluded its public offering, raising $86.8 million. Next, the fund plans to list its stock on Nasdaq by the end of the year.

Nationwide Funds Group has launched the Nationwide Alternatives Allocation Fund, a passively managed mutual fund that will invest in seven alternative asset classes: global real estate, emerging market debt, emerging market stocks, commodities, TIPS, international bonds and high-yield bonds.