Portfolio

An uptick in mergers and acquisition among investment advisory firms at the end of last year suggests that the pace will increase, according to a study by Pershing Advisor Solutions, a unit of BNY Mellon. However, there were fewer deals, and they took longer to complete in last year, compared to the peak in 2007.

“Clearly, a lot of the same fundamental, structural changes to the industry continue to drive M&A,” says David DeVoe, managing director of strategic business development for Schwab Advisor Services.

Equity funds saw $3.08 billion in inflows the week ended April 20.

The San Francisco company tells investors to think ahead to 2011 taxes, as filing deadline has just passed.

The excitement in the room at the 10th Annual Closed-End Funds and Global ETFs Capital Link Forum in New York City on Wednesday was palpable.

For wealth managers, the big question is this: is the unified managed account a realistic goal that will become a reality over time? Or is it a holy grail that will capture imaginations but remain unrealized, draining resources that would better be spent elsewhere?

SEI finds that talking about money may still be taboo.

Investors tired of miniscule returns from their money market accounts and intrigued by small-cap funds in a variety of industries pumped more than $11.3 billion into diversified U.S. equity mutual funds in the first quarter and more than $14.8 billion into global sector funds.

Waddell & Reed Financial, the Overland Park, Kansas, mutual fund complex, said it earned $45.6 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, in the first quarter.

And global sector equity funds saw $14.8 billion in inflows.