Fund performance

The main drivers of markets in 2012 are likely to be similar to last year’s themes —uncertainty over the fate of the Euro, and the related question of whether or not there will be a global recession, said Alan Brown, group chief investment officer at Schroders.

Advisers’ two biggest pieces of advice for clients in 2012 is continued volatility (cited by 40%) and slow economic growth (15%), the latest survey of U.S. financial advisers by Russell Investments found. The survey was conducted among 300 advisers at 132 firms nationwide.

NEW YORK—The United States will not fall back into another recession, Benjamin Pace, U.S. chief investment officer, Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management, told a press briefing Tuesday.

Predictions are easiest to assess, when a year is over.

PHOENIX-A member of the President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers as the mortgage-led global credit crisis erupted said that the last big weapon in the Federal Reserve Board's arsenal to create strong growth is to avoid "tinkering around the edges" of the economy and aggressively reset expectations.

Economic and sovereign risks are likely to dissipate in 2012, according to Barclays Capital’s quarterly research publication, the latest titled, “Global Outlook: A Cautious Step Forward.” As a result, an economic rebound could come as early as the spring.

As equity funds across different regions, capitalizations and investment styles plummeted between -15% and -26% in the third quarter, publicly traded asset managers were hit with an average 8.9% decline in fee-earning assets under management, Moody’s said Thursday. U.S. small-cap stock and emerging markets indices suffered the sharpest losses.

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Congress can’t agree on how to cut the nation’s $1.2 trillion deficit, which is now more than 140% of the nation's gross annual economic output.

just-say-grow

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Predictions are easiest to assess, when a year is over.

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- A member of the President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers as the mortgage-led global credit crisis erupted said Monday that the last big weapon in the Federal Reserve Board’s arsenal to create strong growth is to avoid “tinkering around the edges” of the economy and aggressively reset expectations.

The State Street Investor Confidence Index rose two points in November to 97.2. In North America, the index rose 4.7 points to 95.2, and in Europe, it rose 5.4 points to 101.5. In Asia, however, the index fell 4.2 points to 94.6.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index surged 15.1 points in November to 56.0, up from 40.9.

The State Street Investor Confidence Index rose 2 points in November to 97.2. In North America, the index rose 4.7 points to 95.2, and in Europe, it rose 5.4 points to 101.5. In Asia, however, the index fell 4.2 points to 94.6.

The asset management industry's agility following the financial crisis, particularly its ability to improve profitability, is masking long-term challenges to growth, according to McKinsey & Co.

Investors’ continuing obsession with purchasing Treasury bonds is a sign of ‘irrational exuberance,’ says the chairman of investment manager T. Rowe Price when 10-year yields are under 2.0%.

The volatility that has gripped the markets in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis has changed the investment management game forever.

Governments are falling, bond yields are zigzagging by whole percentage points and markets around the world are locking up. The eurozone turmoil risks turning into a global crisis.

A majority of finance professionals are cautiously optimistic about growth in 2012, a survey by Accounting Principals, a finance and accounting staffing company, found.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. increased sharply in October, by 0.9%, to 117.4 (2004 = 100). This follows a 0.1% increase in September and a 0.3% increase in August.