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China ’s mutual fund industry saw tremendous growth in 2007 as investors strove to take advantage of the soaring stock market, according to China Securities Journal.

Morningstar Inc. named three mutual fund managers who were able to continue their records of strong returns and superior leadership despite the market turbulence during the second half of 2007.

With a new presidential administration on the horizon and his final year in office practically a given, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox discussed some of his priorities for 2008, USA Today reports.

The best-performing fund category for 2007 was large-cap growth funds, which returned 14.9% compared to large-cap value, which rose 2.7%, the Associated Press reports, citing data from Lipper.

While they’re as varied as the results of the various polls, the presidential candidates are alike on one matter: aversion to discuss the impending retirement and Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid crisis, The Wall Street Journal reports.

In the 61 years that Fidelity has been in business, only two Johnsons have been in control: current Chairman Edward “Ned” Johnson III and his father, who founded the firm. The younger Johnson’s reign doesn’t appear to be poised to end anytime soon, even though the leader is now 77, the Associated Press reports.

For the second year in a row, the number of individual Russian investors doubled, topping 400,000.

In a move to help it pay off bad bets on derivatives, Sallie Mae, the largest student loan lending company in the U.S., announced Thursday it had sold $2 billion of common stock and $1 billion of convertible securities, according to Reuters.

Total money market mutual fund assets fell again last week by $3.82 billion to $3.111 trillion, according to the Investment Company Institute.

The Federal Reserve said that banks in the New York area received about $16.5 billion of the $20 billion in 28-day loans offered this month to ease the global credit crunch, according to Reuters.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. made a deal to buy the NRG NV reinsurance unit of the ING Group for about $441 million, according to Reuters.

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg recently asked the independent Conflict of Interest Board for permission to broaden his investments, particularly the hundreds of millions of dollars invested in his charitable foundation, according to the New York Daily News.

While many market analysts warn of an upcoming surge in U.S. businesses filing for bankruptcy, institutional investors can still find ways to make money off corporate crises, according to Dow Jones News Service.

Ownership of mutual funds in U.S. households made eye-popping gains every year between 1980, when it was a mere 6%, to 2001, when it reached 48%, but it has hovered around that range for the past six years.

Because of the stock market turmoil and a wave of tax-loss selling, closed-end funds are selling at highly attractive discounts of 15% or more, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Index fund investors tend to adhere to the adage of invest for the long term, and it pays off, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Mutual funds focused on information technology have seen a drop in popularity in India recently, while funds focused on infrastructure have been among the best performers, according to Daily News & Analysis.

Most Baby Boomers turning 62 next year have established very traditional lifestyle characteristics, but don't consider retirement planning to be a pressing issue, according to a survey from MetLife.

Many market-neutral mutual funds designed to provide steady returns during down markets have failed to live up to expectations, even performing worse than market indexes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Evergreen Ultra Short Opportunities Fund has outperformed many other ultra-short bond funds—and weathered the subprime crisis quite well—by shifting assets toward higher-rated mortgage bonds and pass-through securities, according to The Wall Street Journal.