Portfolio

At a time when asset managers are increasingly questioning modern portfolio theory and static Morningstar style boxes, the Chicago research giant has announced its new "Analyst Ratings" to augment its 1- to 5-star ratings.

A ray of hope flashed across Twitter, amid the unrelenting, assaulting news on jobs, debt, housing, foreclosures and bankruptcies-from Jim Cramer's usually derisive TheStreet.com, of all places.

Corporate acquisitions using overpriced shares of stock rarely do much to cushion the decline the shares eventually suffer.

The waves of issuance rolling into the municipal primary market the past few weeks continue to grow. Last week's volume, at more than $9 billion, approached record territory for 2011, and this week's anticipated issuance should easily set a new high for the year, at nearly $12 billion.

Stocks rose 2.19%, or 259.89 points, Friday on positive news out of Italy and Greece. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the week 1.42% higher.

Affluent investors are very much in tune with the state of the nation, and except for some attractive stock valuations, they don’t like what they see. These was the main finding of a survey that Fidelity Investments took of 3,000 affluent investors, polling them in person or via a webinar at an Inside/Out Roundtable at 85 Fidelity Investor Centers nationwide.

Alabama issuers should not see their ratings lowered by the Jefferson County bankruptcy action, but investor perception could take its toll on future issues.

Investors may be fleeing from mutual funds that invest in U.S. stocks for the long haul. But that does not mean they’re fleeing U.S. stock funds.

Retail reaction to the announcement that Jefferson County, Ala., filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history is likely to be muted, yet will still be closely monitored, portfolio managers say.

Fidelity Investments has introduced two new emerging markets funds, the Fidelity Total Emerging Markets Fund and the Fidelity Emerging Markets Discovery Fund. The first fund invests in equities and bonds, the second in small- and mid-cap stocks.