Portfolio

The Dow Jones Industrial average closed out its best week in more three years Friday essentially flat, finishing off less than one point (0.61) at 12,019.42 despite a much-better-than-expected jobs report.

Assets of the nation’s exchange-traded funds rose 10.9% in October to slightly more than $1 trillion, according to the Investment Company Institute’s latest report on ETFs. That’s up $131.4 billion, or 14.2%, from a year ago.

Here’s why it might make sense to diversify into some Asian mutual funds, according to analysts at S&P Capital IQ: While Europe’s growth will be hampered by debt turmoil in the next year, growth in Asia is expected to continue to exceed that of the United States.

It was a mixed bag for stocks Thursday as investors awaited much-anticipated non-farm payroll figures due out Friday morning, one week after the Labor Department reported an unsettling spike in jobless claims.

Fidelity Charitable has rolled out GivingCentral, an online advisor platform, and a dedicated advisor service team.

But most of that money went back into bond funds and hybrid funds, which took in a combined $16.3 billion for the month.

Fixed annuity sales fell 7% in the third quarter to $19 billion, according to Beacon Research’s Fixed Annuity Premium Study. For the year to date, sales fell slightly less than 1% to $58.3 billion.

November saw a solid month of new municipal bond issuance for 2011, but it paled in comparison with the same period in 2010, when Build America Bond issuance was particularly strong.

BATS Global Markets said it closed its acquisition of Chi-X Europe and now operates it as part of BATS Chi-X Europe.

Indexes have come a long way and can be effective tools for advisors, but you have to know how to use them