Portfolio

Van Eck Global’s Market Vectors ETF Trust has launched an exchange-traded fund that will focus on U.S.-issued “Fallen Angels”—corporate bonds that were rated investment grade at the time of their original issuance but which have since been downgraded to below investment grade status.

Saturna Capital Corporation, investment adviser to the Amana, Sextant, and Idaho Tax-Exempt Mutual Funds, has launched the Sextant Global High Income Fund, which bets on a globally diversified portfolio of debt and equity securities.

Market Vectors launched on Apirl 11, 2011 a new ETF focusing on U.S. Fallen Angel debt

Teucrium launches a family of funds that is jointly dubbed the Teucrium Agricultural Fund. That fund is seeded by the operation of single-product funds, including the Teucrium Corn Fund, Teucrium Soybean Fund, Teucrium Sugar Fund and Teucrium Wheat Fund.

NYSE Euronext said its trading in stocks in the United States was down 23.6 percent in March, compared to last year. In Europe, stocks were down 12.7 percent. Derivatives were down 11.5 percent, worldwide.

Sal Gilbertie, former head of the OTC Energy and Renewables Desk at Newedge USA, is the co-founder of Santa Fe, N.M.-based Teucrium, exchange-traded fund shop that specializes in futures trading of agricultural commodities.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 213.66 points to close at 12,715.93 Tuesday as investors continued to dump shares following more disappointing economic data.

San Antonio, Texas-based USAA has hired Keith Sloane, as head of third-party distribution, responsible for expanding the firm’s strategic partnerships with third-party platforms and registered investment advisers.

The Advisor Solutions Group at Neuberger Berman LLC has added 11 senior regional directors in 10 new regions as it seeks to grow its mutual funds business among wirehouses and regional broker dealers.

The median profit margins of investment advisors, both pre- and post-marketing costs, rose in 2011, according to Lipper’s latest research report, Investment Management Profitability Analysis for 2012.