Special Program Root Tag

To further round out its index fund and ETF offerings across multiple asset classes, Vanguard has introduced the Vanguard Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index Fund, which will also have an exchange-traded fund share class.

WASHINGTON — Two different interpretations of this week's historic midterm elections emerged on Wednesday, with both sides competing to say how the vote would impact the financial services world.

Wells Fargo Bank has debuted a new hedge fund services product line that includes a full suite of back-, middle- and front-office products and services.

Dupree Funds is launching a taxable municipal bond fund this week, just the second effort at creating a mutual fund devoted to Build America Bonds.

The Absolute Return LLC has launched a family of five absolute return portfolios that aim to deliver positive returns regardless of the direction of the market.

Global X Funds has launched the Global X Gold Explorers ETF, which it says is the first exchange-traded fund to invest in gold exploration companies.

Investors stepped up their pullback from mutual funds that invest in stocks, long-term, last week.

Lord Abbett says its Total Return fund has the best of both worlds.

The Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday unanimously voted to ban ‘naked access’ to stock markets by unregistered entities.

The U.S. dollar could lose 20% of its value as a result of the trillions of dollars the Federal Reserve is pumping into the money supply by purchasing long-term government bonds through QE II, or quantitative easing, part two, Bill Gross, co-chief investment officer of PIMCO, told Reuters.

Aston Asset Management, in partnership with Crosswind Investments as sub-advisor, has launched the Aston/Crosswind Small Cap Growth Fund.

BOSTON—The Department of Labor’s new 401(k) fee disclosure requirements that take effect Jan. 1, 2012 go far beyond disclosing mutual fund expense ratios to cover every nook and cranny of expenses in plans, right down to indirect service providers, speakers said at the FundForum USA 2010 conference here Monday.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Friday will discuss potential responses to the May 6 Flash Crash, after revisiting its findings at a joint meeting.

Nasdaq OMX Group Monday launched five indices measuring the performance of individual stocks against exchange-traded funds.

FTEN, which is marketing technology that it contends can solve both issues, said it expected the Securities and Exchange Commission could save billions of dollars almost "immediately, because you are addressing both issues at the same time,'' said Gary LaFever, the company's chief development officer.

BOSTON—Mutual fund wholesalers’ sales pitches are unimaginative and all too often the same, said speakers at FundForum USA 2010 here Monday, during the session “Managing Expenses in a Changing Distribution Market.”

Janus Capital Group Inc. announced Monday it launched three separately managed account investment strategies for U.S. institutional investors.

For defined contribution plans to work, large U.S. retirement plan sponsors believe they should be mandatory, and include auto enrollment, savings escalation and employer contributions, according to a study released on Monday by Northern Trust.

The Congressional election Tuesday is causing concern for many advisors’ clients, according to a survey by SEI Advisor Network.The firm’s survey of 238 advisers found that half thought the elections had created “fear and uncertainty” among their clients, who are already worried about unemployment levels, the potential for a double-dip recession, rising taxes and budget deficits.

BOSTON—While equities continue to dominate portfolios, asset allocation models are increasingly embracing alternatives and flexible mandates—“and these changing views on asset allocation are putting billions of assets in motion and creating opportunities for sales,” said Dennis Bowden, senior research analyst with Strategic Insight.