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ALPS Fund Services is planning to offer five commodity equity exchange-traded funds. They are: Agricultural Producers ETF, Energy Producers ETF, Industrial Metals Products ETF, Precious Metals Products ETF and Commodity Producers Composite ETF.

Although there have been reports of about one-third of employers cutting back on or eliminating 401(k) matches, for the most part, they have continued to add other features to the plans to increase participation and investment rates, Charles Schwab found. And that has helped most workers stay the retirement savings course.

Mutual fund managers are moving back into the stock market, finally putting cash they have been holding onto for more than a year back to work, MarketWatch reports.

Even though their financial health may have been seriously impaired by the economic downturn, most couples are not in agreement when it comes to their retirement plans, Fidelity found in a survey of 502 married couples between the ages of 45 and 72. To qualify, they had to have household income of at least $75,000 and investable assets of $100,000 or more.

Affluent investors' confidence increased in May for the third consecutive month, according to a survey by Spectrem Group.

BlackRock is reportedly the lead bidder for Barclays’ fund unit, and could pay more than $12 billion for the company, which has $1.5 trillion under management. BlackRock manages $2.81 trillion.

Grail Advisors is planning to offer four actively managed exchange-traded funds that will the first to use a single-manager approach.

IndexIQ has introduced an exchange-traded fund that will seek to replicate global macro and emerging markets hedge fund strategies.

The U.S. House of Representatives has introduced the Retirement Security Needs Lifetime Pay Act, designed to encourage Americans to invest lifetime income annuities through tax breaks.

The White House’s earlier plan to merge many of the regulators overseeing the financial services industry is likely to be scrapped, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Wells Fargo, parent of the Evergreen mutual funds, has agreed to pay $40 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle charges it inflated the value of mortgage-backed securities held by one of its mutual funds, the Ultra Short Opportunities Fund.

As part of an increasing trend among mutual fund companies to diversify their offerings into new areas, Putnam Investments is planning to offer hedge funds in the next six to 12 months, according to the firm’s chief executive officer, Robert L. Reynolds.

Hedge funds posted their best monthly performance in nine years, with the HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index rising 5.2% in May, Hedge Fund Research indicated.

Citing the positive effects of diversification and continued contributions, Vanguard announced that the median decline in the three million defined contribution accounts it administers fell 17% in the 15 months ended March 31, as opposed to the market’s overall 44% decline.

Variable annuity sales declined 27% in the first quarter to $30.7 billion, compared with $41.9 billion in the first quarter of 2008, LIMRA announced.

Fidelity Investments and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts jointly announced Monday that the two firms have struck an agreement whereby the Boston-based mutual fund company's customers will be to access the initial public offerings and secondary stock sales of KKR portfolio companies.

Fidelity Investments’ chief of technology and real estate operations, Marvin Adams, will be leaving the company, according to reports.

Finally, insiders launched candid criticism at the mutual fund industry last week, to help it respond sensibly to the economic meltdown and reposition itself to regain investor trust.

Abigail Johnson Chairs Fidelity Fund Board

Conn. Fails to Pass Hedge Fund Bill