Alternative investments

Concerns about an over-proliferation of ETFs, curiosity regarding how market demand will shape product innovation and questions about the direction of regulation are expected to punctuate discussions among those attending the 19th annual IMN global Indexing and ETF Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., that begins on Dec. 7.

Man Group, the largest publicly traded hedge fund manager in the world, will buy fund-of-hedge funds assets from Merrill Lynch Alternative Investments to expand in the U.S. The London-based firm will acquire the contracts to manage Merrill’s $1.2 billion multi-strategy investments, and will pay Merrill Lynch $2.9 million when the deal closes and 35% of the management fees generated annually for five years, not to exceed $30 million.

Supplying Chinese equity demand is not a simple process of deciding to launch an ETF product, providers say. There are a number of operational challenges that a firm must navigate to make the offering available, including managing a complex system of global exchange that involves precise timings and potential risks for clients.

The industry saw dollar hedge demand strong among ETFs, another insurer acquiring an asset manager and the second ETF provider to offer U.S. investors access to China's onshore bond market.

The world of what one might broadly label values-based investing has changed and expanded significantly in recent years. It has largely been a niche sector, albeit a growing one. But some advisors expect generational changes to affect future growth.

John Jacobs, executive vice president of global information services at Nasdaq and pioneer of the QQQ ETF, reflects on the growth of the ETF industry and shares his predictions on upcoming trends.

Aberdeen Asset Management, Europe’s largest publicly traded money manager by assets, reported $32 billion of outflows in the full year as investor sentiment toward emerging markets waned.

The largest U.S. ETF that tracks mainland Chinese stocks has jumped to a record premium to its underlying assets as unprecedented demand forces fund manager Deutsche Bank AG to all but stop taking in new money.

The end of the year is the perfect time to think about what you accomplished and what you want to accomplish in the next twelve months. This checklist will help ensure you've thought through the major considerations to plan your distribution strategy for 2015.

Among recent notable product launches is an ETF aimed at accessing China's onshore bond market, a new index that will track publicly-listed companies developing or providing cyber security technology, and a fund aiming to outperform an index composed of futures contracts on 14 heavily traded commodities.

Changes in the industry confront asset managers on several fronts. Michael Rawson, an analyst covering passive strategies on Morningstar's manager research team, shares his expectations on the outcomes these industry shifts will bring.

Aequitas Capital is hoping to woo advisors with an unusual but potentially potent pitch: its expertise in alternative investments.

Before advisors recommend the increasingly popular hedged investment strategy, they better know the basics.

The profitability of alts for investment managers and product originators promises that the deluge of alternative investment opportunities will continue.

Some research shows that alternatives have as much chance of hurting performance as helping. With so many new products available, how can advisors ensure that they're picking the right ones?

New York is the capital of the art world, but brave investors may want to look farther afield for opportunities. Be very careful, advisors say.

Alternative investments have been growing rapidly in popularity in recent years as new funds have been mushrooming and money has been flowing in. Andy Saperstein, Morgan Stanley’s head of investment products and services, explains the wirehouse’s history of working with alts and Morgan’s current approach to leveraging them in client portfolios.

Schorsch makes big changes to the firm's executive team with a new CEO as well as the hiring of longtime LPL exec Bill Dwyer.

Alternative mutual funds are in the midst of a growth period with asset managers aggressively marketing the investment products to advisors. Here is a look at the top 10 alternative mutual fund launches in 2014 based on net assets, according to Morningstar.

High-net-worth women are savvier about alternative investment choices than their male counterparts, says a study by New York Life MainStay Investments.