Alternative investments

Over half of American donors (55%) plan to maintain the same level of charitable giving in the fourth quarter, despite market uncertainty, according to a survey by the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, the largest donor-advised program nationally.

Matthews International Capital Management has launched an umbrella UCITS in Luxembourg comprised of three Asia-focused funds: Asia Dividend Fund, Pacific Tiger Fund and China Fund. It is the first time investors outside of the U.S. have had access to Matthews funds.

Genworth Financial has agreed to pay $35 million, plus additional performance-based payments, to acquire alternative investments platform provider Altegris. The deal is expected to close at the end of the year.

The mystery of why America continues to rely on foreign oil and contaminate its environment-and subsequently why the green industry holds the promise of becoming a $6 trillion market but remains speculative, volatile and fragmented-is answered in the intriguing book, "The Climate War: True Believers, Power Brokers and the Fight to Save the Earth" (Eric Pooley, Hyperion, 2010).

The Shanghai Stock Exchange will create exchange-traded funds based on depositary indices maintained by BNY Mellon.

To help investors take advantage of opportunities created by shifting financial trends, Russell Investments has launched the Russell Global Infrastructure Fund and the Russell Global Credit Strategies Fund and added the two to the Russell LifePoints Funds Target Portfolio Series and the Russell Core Model Strategies.

An increasing number of financial advisors advocate using alternative investments in client portfolios as a way to increase diversification, according to the 2010 Rydex|SGI Annual AdvisorBenchmarking Study.

AQR Capital Management has launched the AQR Risk Parity Fund, whose main aim is to seek consistent returns with reduced equity market exposure.

John Hancock Funds on Monday announced the launch of the John Hancock Currency Strategies Fund, a fund that will make diversified investments in global currencies and that is managed by First Quadrant.

Dodge and Cox has launched the Dodge & Cox Worldwide Funds-International Stock Fund, an Ireland-domiciled UCITS (undertaking for collective investment in transferrable securities).

Lindner Capital Advisors is offering the Equinox MutualHedge Fund, a managed futures solution, to non-accredited retail investors. Equinox Fund Management is providing the underlying MutualHedge instrument.

Eaton Vance Management Tuesday announced the launch of the Eaton Vance Global Macro Absolute Return Advantage Fund.

NEW YORK-Many investment firms dealing in complex asset-backed securities did not have sufficient computing capacity to figure out the risks they were taking, as the global financial crisis unfolded, said the managing director and chief technology architect of Bank of America Merrill Lynch Monday.

Exchange-traded funds will continue on a strong, albeit somewhat scaled back, growth track, expanding assets by an average of 19% a year over the next five years through 2014, according to Financial Research Corp. Over the last five years, the annual growth rate has been 23%.

Altegris Advisors has launched the Altegris Managed Futures Strategy Fund, an actively managed mutual fund aimed at both retail and professional investors. In launching the fund, the alternative investments manager noted that in the past decade, U.S. stocks declined 17%, but managed futures gained 122%.

Citi’s Global Transaction Services unit has launched a suite of regulatory administration and compliance support services for hedge funds, private equity funds and their SEC-registered investment advisors. The service leverages Citi’s existing services for traditional mutual funds and their investment advisors.

Invesco PowerShares has contracted for exclusive rights to four Keefe Bruyette & Woods indexes to offer specialized exchange-traded funds in real estate, financial services and property and casualty insurance.

Mortgage-backed securities, especially those paying higher rates of interest than comparable Treasuries, are gaining an increased amount of attention from investors who have been sitting on cash.

Long-short strategies are outperforming—or at least underperforming less—than traditional equity plays, according to a white paper by Credit Suisse.

BNP Paribas has pushed to reorganize its corporate and investment banking business in the Americas by making some key staffing swaps within equities, derivatives and structured finance, the firm said yesterday.