Portfolio

The majority of economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal say the U.S. has finally slid into a recession.

The mutual fund industry in Mexico is poised for growth in the coming years as average household incomes increase and Mexican investors change their savings habits, according to Business News Americas.

Chinese mutual funds posted moderate gains in February after declining more than seven percent in January, according to a recent report.

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, the former New York State attorney general who was instrumental in waging war against Wall Street corruption and the mutual fund industry’s after-hours trading and market-timing activities, publicly apologized Monday afternoon to his family and the public for unspecified behavior, but stopped short of resigning his position as governor.

Global alternative asset manager Blackstone Group reported a 90% drop in profit during the fourth quarter of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006 and warned that conditions will remain difficult for the rest of the year or longer.

Innovation is the name of the game for Keith Geary, CEO, president and chairman of Capital West Securities, a small, 13-year-old Oklahoma City-based broker/dealer. The firm recently registered its new investment advisory arm OOK Advisors and last week filed to offer the Capital West Oklahoma Index Fund, the first ETF to invest exclusively in publicly-traded companies headquartered in Oklahoma. The ETF is expected to begin trading on the American Stock Exchange in April.

Fidelity VP Investigated for Entertainment Methods

Principal Funds Names New President

Many community banking companies have wealth management units, but lately more small and midsize wealth managers have been getting into the banking business.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's recent proposals aimed at easing the burdens of providers bringing new exchange-traded funds to market should make new ETF launches an easier proposition while fostering even more product creativity, said investment management sources.