Portfolio

NEW YORK- Growth in emerging markets has the potential to outpace the U.S. Baby Boomer explosion by 25 times, and as consumption and infrastructure in these nations builds, specialized emerging market exchange-traded funds will become increasingly viable, said Robert Lutts, president and chief investment officer of Cabot Money Management. That even means sector- and style-specific ETFs, Lutts said, as well as diversified emerging markets blend funds, added Paul Weisbruch, vice president of ETF and options sales and trading at Street One Financial.

Strategic Insight, FUSE Research

Build America Bond issuers could potentially go years without subsidy payments under the examination process the Internal Revenue Service is currently considering for them, bond attorneys meeting here warned last week.

Issuers that want to avoid disclosure mishaps — and possible federal enforcement action — should develop and closely follow policies as well as procedures that lay out who must review and sign off on their disclosure documents, Securities and Exchange Commission officials are stressing.

For four days, advisors descended on Boston for insights on practice management, regulatory changes to help improve their business.

The combined assets of the nation’s mutual funds increased by $486.2 billion, or 4.5%, to $11.267 trillion in September, as investors continued to add to long-term bond funds and pull money out of stock and money market funds, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.

Fidelity Investments reported a 20% increase over the past three years in the number of participants in its tax-exempt workplace savings plans at higher education, healthcare and other not-for-profit institutions.

Although 78% of chief financial officers think the economy might not recover for another two years, 39% are planning to increase their capital investments in 2011, mostly on new technology.

One of the benefits of the recession is that the constant coverage of the economy has brought retirement savings and retirement benefits into better focus for many Americans, The Hartford Financial Services Group found in a survey of 1,000 adults, conducted by Zeldis Research.

Investors pull a net $11.6 billion from stock funds during the month, but assets still rose 9.3% thanks to market appreciation.