Portfolio

CalPERS' Returns Dip

Citadel Hires Morgan's Foreign Exchange Chief

After a year of record growth, Hartford Financial Services wants to expand its 529 college savings business over the next two years by increasing sales and, perhaps, in what would be a shift in strategy, by becoming a plan sponsor in another state.

While the storied Bear Stearns went up for a fire sale of $236 million to JPMorgan last week, less than one-tenth of its trading price, Bear hit another brick wall.

WASHINGTON-Few question the Federal Reserve Board's recent efforts to stabilize the economy, but plenty of people are wondering how much risk the central bank is taking.

Shareholders in a number of large Fidelity mutual funds, most notably the $73 billion Contrafund, succeeded in forcing a proxy vote at press time on whether the company should institute a "genocide-free" investment policy. Insiders did not expect, however, the unbinding measure to pass.

BOSTON-Asset managers will have to adapt their techniques and operations beyond their current business models to survive the shifting demands in the retirement product marketplace.

The price of crude oil and gold fell nearly 10% in less than 36 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, backfiring on investors who were using commodities as a hedge against inflation.

An exchange-traded note that shorted gold saw futures prices rise about 14% last week when gold prices plummeted.

Although they may have lost their battle to get Fidelity Investments to drop mutual funds that are linked to genocide in Sudan, activists say they are emboldened that more than one out of four shareholders voted in favor of their proposal.