Portfolio

The downgrade of U.S. debt may have led to more market volatility than the Flash Crash.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.5% in July to 115.80 ( 2004 = 100 ), marking the third month in a row that the index has risen. June saw a 0.3% gain, and May say a 0.7% increase.

Van Eck Global has introduced the Market Vectors Mortgage REIT Income ETF (ticker: MORT).

In light of the recent market volatility, a new report from Fidelity Investments analyzing the performance of 401(k) balances between Oct. 1, 2008 and June 30, 2011 is quite telling—giving a testimonial to the value of sticking with the stock market even amid the worst declines.

More than $40 billion flowed out of all forms of mutual funds in the week that featured the first-ever downgrade of U.S. debt.

Cantor Fitzgerald is in the process of launching an ETF Arbitrage business that will provide customers with two-sided ETF markets, encompassing full-service execution, research and market color.

Fidelity Clearing Canada has enhanced its Streetscape workstation with additional market research news and information as well as syndication data on new issue distribution and reporting.

Aside from a disappointing sales outlook from tech leader Dell, investors had little economic data to react to or run from Wednesday, resulting in a fairly eventless day of trading across the board.

With the market and economy turbulent, fund managers are steering away from equities and toward the safe haven of cash.

The debt ceiling debate, the nation’s credit rating downgrade, market declines and unemployment are taking a serious toll on investors, causing the Country Financial Security Index to fall 1.3 points in August to 62.4, a record low.