Portfolio

In a remarkably short period, the playing field for the lowest-cost ETFs has changed dramatically.

With high levels of volatility in the markets and a financial environment that remains risk-adverse, lower returns on traditional financial investments are driving more high-net-worth clients toward niche alternatives. Independent television documentary director Elena Mannes highlights some of these exotic assets – including trees and violins – and the underlying risk their attractive returns hold.

After two weeks of devastating outlfows, especially in domestic equities, mutual funds seem to have finally recovered their groove somewhat.

First Eagle Investment Management today is trumpeting the five-year anniversary of the First Eagle High Yield Fund (FEHIX).

3D Asset Management has added three sales executives to its business development team.

In the RIA space, rapid consolidation is driving firms to merge, acquire and seek larger partners. In 10 to 20 years, many predict a series of giant $100 billion-AUM firms will emerge to dominate the market. So what does the future hold for smaller firms?

Global exchange-traded fund and exchange-traded product assets reached an all-time high of $1.9 trillion at the end of November 2012, according to figures from ETFGI’s monthly global ETF and ETP industry insights.

Mark Cahn, general counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission, is leaving the agency at the end of the year to return to the private sector.

Brinton Eaton, a Madison, N.J., based wealth manager with $700 million in assets under management, has joined Chicago-based Mariner Wealth Advisors, bringing the latter’s AUM to $6.3 billion.

Investors withdrew money last month from Vanguard Group’s emerging-markets exchange-traded fund, the industry’s largest, after the firm said it would replace the fund’s index.