Portfolio

Grail Advisors, a provider of actively managed exchange-traded funds, has recruited Gary Black, the former chief executive officer of Janus, to serve as a director on its advisory board.

Institutional investors remain optimistic that the global economy and the interest rate-ridden housing market will help create “stability” and growth in the New Year, a Northern Trust Global Advisors (NTGA) survey found.

Global growth last year: a massive 45.2%

Bank life insurance sales growth has far exceeded overall industry growth for the second quarter in a row.

In an effort to capitalize on what some have dubbed “the Year of the Roth,” Huntington Bancshares’ wealth management arm is planning a direct-mailing campaign for a targeted group of customers.

Basing the awards on superior risk-adjusted results and shareholder stewardship, Morningstar has named its Fund Managers of the Decade, bestowing the honors on PIMCO’s Bill Gross, Fairholme’s Bruce Berkowitz and Oakmark’s David Herro, respectively, for fixed income, domestic equity and international equity.

Among the many metamorphoses the advent of taxable Build America Bonds was anticipated to induce in the tax-exempt municipal bond market, one of the most important was the flattening of the yield curve. It has not happened yet.

The funds span a wide range of asset classes and sectors, including equity, fixed income, real estate and specialty securities.

The ongoing impact of the financial crisis, coupled with the specter of greater governmental oversight, will color the outlook for the life insurance industry in the year ahead, according to New York-based Ernst & Young’s Global Insurance Center 2010 U.S. Outlook.

Sponsors of 401(k) plans are determined to get their plans back on track in 2010 to avoid future market pitfalls, starting by taking a hard look at investment offerings and fees, Callan Associates found in its 2010 Defined Contribution Trends Survey.