Portfolio

New hedge-fund like vehicle will trade frequently

While Americans have remain committed to saving for retirement through their 401(k)s, a significant portion of households owning financial investments, 37%, have become more conservative in their saving, asset allocation and choice of retirement age, according to a survey of 3,000 households at the end of 2010 by the Investment Company Institute.

The herd is moving in one direction again, and I’m getting offers from experts to talk about the joyous event.

To calm frightened investors pulling out of muni-bond funds, Vanguard, which manages $115 billion in municipal bonds, has been tweeting excerpts from a new research commentary "California is Not Greece."

The Boston-company attracted assets from 146 breakaway brokers last year as average assets per breakaway increased by nearly 50% from 2009.

Five other world-class asset managers, including PIMCO and Wellington, are sub-advising the fund along with Hancock.

Investors in tax-exempt debt should be cautious about heeding recent reports about the possibility of widespread bankruptcy and default in the municipal market, and stop running away from solid, safe investments because of distorted opinions in the media.

John Hancock Funds announced on Tuesday its new John Hancock Alternative Asset Allocation Fund, a multi-managed fund that John Hancock will manage along with five other leading asset management firms: PIMCO, Wellington Management, Dimensional Fund Advisors, Stone Harbor, Deutsche Asset Management and First Quadrant.

Although the economic recovery is relatively slower in the U.S. than abroad, U.S. CEOs’ outlook has improved considerably, a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers finds.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased in January to 60.6, up from 53.3 in December.