Portfolio

The nation’s estimated 17,600 bank advisors are as diverse as the U.S. itself. Here are 12 who were profiled in our magazine this year, each with different investment philosophies, market niches, and business development approaches. Their interests, too, are just as varied, making each producer stand out on many levels.

Total retirement assets were $17.0 trillion as of Sept. 30, down 7.5% from a record high of $18.4 trillion as of June 30, the Investment Company Institute said Wednesday, attributing most of the decline to the 13.9% decline in the S&P 500 Index in the third quarter. Assets might have declined even further were it not for automatic contributions to 401(k)s, the ICI said.

After a decade marked by two severe bear markets, 401(k) investors have adopted a more balanced approach to their portfolios, according to a report released Wednesday by the Investment Company Institute and the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

The funds might include both domestic and U.S.-listed foreign companies, a feature that allows for a more global representation.

Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext have offered to cap fees on trading in their European derivatives contracts for three years in their last-ditch effort to get their $9 billion merger cleared by the European Union.

Encouraging economic news from Europe and the Commerce Department put a charge into stocks Tuesday, sending the Dow Jones Industrial average up 337 points – its largest single-day surge of the month.

Global X Funds is liquidating eight of its exchange-traded funds, including a fund focused on emerging markets and another on waste management.

Investment management firm Matthews it will re-open two of its funds to new investors. The Matthews Asian Growth and Income and the Matthews Asia Small Companies funds will both reopen on Jan. 4, 2012.

Dalbar has announced its 2011 Mutual Fund Service Award Winners in Financial Services—with top honors for customer service going to:

Versus Capital will launch a retail mutual fund-of-funds that invests directly in income-producing real estate—a type of investment typically only available to institutional investors. Callan Associates will serve as sub-advisor.