Portfolio

Are exchange-traded funds part of the equation for a truly diversified portfolio?

Annuity products, both fixed and variable, had a good run in the bank channel during the first quarter of 2011.

When it comes to saving for retirement, most Americans have a distorted and potentially disastrous view of just how well they're doing relative to their parents and grandparents.

State Street's Investor Confidence Index rose to its highest level since December, a sign that more investors are willing to move off the sidelines to capitalize on the market's recent strength.

The State Street Investor Confidence Index rose 6.8 point in May to 104.1, its highest reading since December. The increase was led by North American investors, among whom confidence rose 7.7 points to 106.3 from 98.6 in April. European investor confidence rose 5.2 points to 79.0 from 73.8. However, Asian investor confidence fell 2.7 points to 96.7 from 99.4.

John Hancock Funds has launched the John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund, a closed-end fund that had its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. This is Hancock’s tenth closed-end fund. Wellington Management is the subadvisor.

The District of Columbia’s budget vote last Wednesday jolted local municipal bond investors who could see their taxes jump on Oct. 1 as a result of a provision to tax the interest earnings from munis issued outside the district.

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, the first toll road agency of its kind in Texas, is looking for yield-hungry investors willing to take a risk on $374 million of revenue bonds at or below investment grade next week.

Barclays expects Greece will be propped up for another year. Raymond James' Jeffrey Saut likes technology stocks. Vanguard is still bullish on money markets. S&P looks for funds holding consumer staples stocks that might do better in a U.S. stock market downturn.

Although the unemployment rate in the U.S. is 9%, three-quarters of broker-dealers and registered investment advisors plan to hire in the next 12 months, and they plan to boost their staff by an average of 30%, Fidelity Investments found in a survey.