Special Program Root Tag

It's not against the law to open your neighbor's mailbox. And, yes, you can peek inside.

Louis Fugazy has been promoted from national accounts manager to associate publisher of Money Management Executive and Asset Securitization Report.

Wedbush Securities, a pioneer in giving high-frequency traders access to equity execution markets, recently launched a platform providing traditional institutional investors with the same high-speed access to market centers and control over their executions.

A coalition of financial planning experts urged lawmakers to keep the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in charge of investment advisor regulation for the sake of cost and efficiency, just days ahead of several federal reports on the industry due next week.

A majority of institutional investor, 55%, expect global growth over the next six months, up considerably from the 33% who felt this way in the third quarter, a survey of 97 institutional managers by Northern Trust found.

Matt Fink was with the Investment Company Institute from 1971 to 2004 and served as its president from 1991 to 2004. He is the author of a history of mutual funds, “The Rise of Mutual Funds: An Insider's View,” (Oxford University Press, 2008). A new edition, covering the 2008 financial crisis and its impact on mutual funds, has just been published.

ETF Securities on Friday began trading its new exchange-traded product, the ETFS Physical Asian Gold Shares, on NYSE Arca.

Money market fund assets dropped by $2.18 billion in the week ended Jan. 12, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.

Vanguard indicated in a Thursday SEC filing it is postponing its plans to offer short-, intermediate- and long-term municipal bond index funds. Vanguard first submitted its registration statements in June.

Sixty percent of registered investment advisors are actively looking to acquire new advisers, according to a Fidelity survey, and now they can have help doing so with the Boston-based fund company's newly expanded advisor recruiting and retention resources.

Financial Research Corp. has hired Matthew J. Schott as vice president, retirement income practice leader.

Deutsche Börse and Clearstream said they began their joint effort at introducing exchange trading in mutual funds.

Liberty Street Advisors has launched the Center Coast MLP Focus Fund, a mutual fund that will invest in midstream energy infrastructure master limited partnerships. It will be sub-advised by Center Coast Capital Advisors of Houston, whose founder Dan Tutcher is well known in the MLP sector.

In an effort to provide investors with greater diversification, Prudential Investments has launched the Prudential Real Assets Fund, which will invest in real estate, metals, fuel and other commodities. In addition, the fund aims to protect investors against inflation and rising interest rates.

Acadian Asset Management has launched the Acadian Emerging Markets Debt Fund, joining the $946 million Acadian Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio, which it has been managing since 1993.

The Consumer Reports Sentiment Index slimed to 48.7 in January, up from 45.1 in December and 44.1 a year ago. This is the highest level it has been at in two years, Consumer Reports said.

The holiday celebration is over.

In an effort to develop jumpstart its exchange-traded fund business, Russell Investments announced Wednesday it plans to buy U.S. One Inc., a registered investment advisor and ETF provider.U.S. One is the investment advisor to the One Fund, an ETF traded on the New York Stock Exchange that provides exposure to 95% of the world’s stock markets with the objective of long-term investment growth.

The financial crisis has brought personal finance front and center in the mind of many Americans, with 70% saying taking control of their finances is a top priority and nearly as many believing they can accomplish this.

While regulators have focused on target-date funds since the financial crisis, most investors understand the funds’ basic design and are aware of their risks, a Vanguard survey of 4,700 investors shows.