Portfolio

Investing in 2012 may very well prove to be the year of “risky business” because of the possible rewards and punishments, according to Prudential Annuities Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby.

Web Exclusive: It took Oxford Financial CEO Jeffrey Thomasson years to figure out how to recruit and hire the best people. Now, the nation’s second-largest RIA has it down to a science – and the firm is thriving like never before.

Growth in exchange-traded funds fell to 5.1% in 2011, from 27.5% in 2010 and 46.7% in 2009, according to figures released by the Exchange Traded Fund Association. The category with the biggest gains: fixed-income funds.

Investors pulled more than $125 billion out of mutual funds that invest long-term in stocks last year, according to the latest data released by the Investment Company Institute. Of that, $5.2 billion got pulled in the week leading up to New Year’s Eve.

A pair of conflicting domestic economic reports combined with more unsettling news from Europe left stocks largely unchanged Wednesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average managed to only pick up 21 points to close at 12,418.42.

Long-term mutual funds were hit with $2.62 billion in outflows the week ended Dec. 28, the Investment Company Institute said Wednesday. This was up from outflows of $1.87 billion the week ended Dec. 21.

Morningstar announced its Fund Manager of the Year Awards, with the top honors going to portfolio managers at Fidelity Investments, Artisan and Tweedy, Browne.

Morningstar on Wednesday announced its Fund Manager of the Year Awards, with the top honors for the fixed income category going to portfolio managers at Fidelity Investments, Artisan and Tweedy, Browne.

Did you have the foresight to invest heavily for your clients in Pacific Investment Management Co.’s 25-year zero coupon U.S. Treasury exchange-traded bond fund, one year ago?

The operators of the Chicago Board Options Exchange said its futures exchange achieved record volume in 2011, based on its fear index.