Special Program Root Tag

As managing director for global product management for U.S. financial institutions at BNY Mellon, Jim Cecere is in a unique position to see developing trends in the asset management industry. Particularly in light of recent market volatility and dramatically changed investor risk appetite in the wake of the recession, Money Management Executive Editor Lee Barney spoke with Cecere about new product trends.

Genworth Financial Wealth Management appointed former Citibank and Charles Schwab executive Myra Rothfeld as its chief marketing officer.

Fair value is of particular importance amid the heightened market volatility, according to a new report from Interactive Data Corp. This is particularly true of international equities, the firm said, basing its findings on a survey of fund companies.

Neuberger Berman has introduced the Neuberger Berman Global Equity Fund and the Neuberger Berman Global Thematic Opportunities Fund, complements, the firm says, to the Neuberger Berman Global Allocation Fund introduced in June.

Recent market calamities will continue to put a damper on asset growth and margins, as investors are likely to continue to embrace more conservative, lower-fee investment choices, Kasina predicts.

At a time when jobs are hard to find and raises are paltry, employers are looking to their 401(k) plans to better serve their workers.

Broadridge has acquired Paladyne Systems, a provider of front-, middle- and back-office trading platforms for multiple asset classes, for $76.5 million. Paladyne also provides portfolio management tools, pricing and valuation applications, data warehousing and data aggregation and reporting.

Investors have flocked to exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded notes through the first eight months of the year.

State Street Corp. has launched a derivatives clearing service, complete with a swaps clearing platform. With this launch, State Street now offers a complete, end-to-end derivatives solution, complete with servicing, custody, accounting, collateral management, valuation, risk controls and analytics.

Citi announced Wednesday that hedge fund Sandalwood Securities has selected it for a full suite of hedge fund-of-funds administration and custody services.

As registered investment advisors and fee-based advisers are challenged by increasing market volatility and declines, they are turning to alternative investment classes and tactical allocation to protect their clients’ portfolios. This was the major finding of a survey of 500 professionals by Jefferson National.

QuantShares on Wednesday announced it has licensed seven indexes in the Dow Jones U.S. Thematic Market Neutral Indexes series for individual exchange-traded funds. The ETF start-up has been planning the funds since January.

Nearly half of the leading asset management firms that Corporate Insight tracks now have multiple social media accounts, with 45% opening two or more Twitter accounts and 38% having two or more Facebook pages.

Putnam Investments announced Wednesday that it has become the first fund company to place Quick Response (QR), or smartphone codes, on its second quarter 2011 shareholder statements—leading investors to current information on its website, including fund manager insights.

A tip of the hat to Standard & Poor’s?

Sallie Krawcheck is leaving Bank of America, three years after leaving Citigroup.

Allianz announced Tuesday it is rolling up its Allianz asset management division and PIMCO units into a new structure to be called Allianz Asset Management, effective Jan. 1.

The dot-com crash and the Great Recession have taken a serious and lasting toll on the risk appetites of Generation Y, according to the latest MFS Investing Sentiment Survey. This generation, between the ages of 18 and 30, are “investing more like their parents and grandparents, many of whom grew up in the shadows of the Great Depression,” said William Finnegan, senior managing director of U.S. retail marketing for MFS.

Deloitte Consulting has promoted Elizabeth Krentzman from principal to head of its mutual fund practice, a new position at the firm that oversees its auditing, tax, financial advisory and consulting businesses for the fund industry.

Franklin Templeton has launched the Franklin Templeton Global Allocation Fund, which will take a tactical asset allocation approach and consistently adjust its allocations to a widely diversified portfolio of equities, fixed income, cash and derivatives.