Andrew Welsch

Jim Weddle, head of Edward Jones, says his firm won't develop a robo advisor, but adds that competitive pressures are pushing the entire industry to up its digital game.

The wirehouse pulled over four advisors from rivals Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley.

Four advisors left the wirehouse to join regional broker-dealer Benjamin F. Edwards.

The firm said wealth management profits rose to $509 million for the third quarter, boosted by lower compensation expenses.

An advisor who had been at Merrill Lynch for 20 years left the wirehouse to join UBS.

Barclays lost a team to RBC, the latest defection since the British-owned firm agreed to sell its brokerage unit to Stifel. This is the first to go to a regional brokerage instead of a wirehouse or high-profile boutique.

The chief executive of the self-regulatory organization urges against duplicating regulatory efforts, and adds that big data will soon define how regulators operate.

Jim Weddle, managing partner of Edward Jones, says the firm hasn't been finding as many quality recruits as it would like.

Wells Fargo reported that even as profits rose, client assets for the firm's retail brokerage unit shrank 4% year-over-year.

Bank of America said profits for its wealth management unit, which includes Merrill Lynch, fell 19% year-over-year. Meanwhile, Merrill's advisor force increased 6%.