Money Management Executive Latest News

Real estate funds appear poised to continue on the strong path they have charted so far this year, returning 20.5% year to date versus the S&P 500’s 15.1% rise, Reuters reports.

The fund industry’s squeaky-clean image and avoidance of major scandals throughout its history may have taken a major hit Wednesday as New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced he has obtained evidence of widespread illegal trading schemes that potentially cost mutual fund investors billions of dollars.

Kauser Management announced the launch of The Technical Chart Fund, a market-neutral, no-load, mutual fund that incorporates hedging strategies and is managed by a former hedge fund manager.

Many Americans will be putting off retirement because of the economy, but many of the people who said they would delay retirement said they enjoy working anyway, according to a survey from Allstate Financial. And 60% of respondents said they probably won’t stop working entirely.

Fidelity. Vanguard. JPMorgan. The names of such leading financial companies evoke security and trust. But bigger financial firms don’t always mean better performance, Reuters reports, citing a study by T. Rowe Price.

Principal Financial Group has formed a joint venture with two banks in India in order to sell long-term mutual funds and other financial services in that market.

AllianceBernstein is rolling out six mutual funds that will be modeled after investment strategies that its private client team uses.

Mutual funds are up an average 19.6% so far this year – small-cap funds up 30.7%, the Los Angeles Times reports. The market rally that began March 12 was first fueled by a quick outcome in the war in Iraq and, recently, positive economic data.

Probably the biggest benefit of separate accounts is their performance, Barron’s reports. The reason equity separately managed accounts returned 10.96% over the past 10 years, whereas equity mutual funds returned 7.78%, is the personal oversight of a broker or financial adviser and SMAs’ ability to rotate among different investment styles. Also, SMA programs are always weeding out poor performers.

Investors pulled out of bond funds for the first time in more than a year and a half, while equity funds gained ground in July, according to recent data from the Investment Company Institute.