Fund performance

Registered investment advisors became slightly more optimistic about the economy in November, as measured by Rydex/SGI’s Advsor Confidence Index.

The stock market is on a roll, according to TD Waterhouse’s 2011 Investment Outlook.

A survey of affluent investors by research firm TNS shows that the TNS Investor Confidence Index rose to 116 in October, its highest level since hitting 129 in 2007. Its lowest point was 81 in October 2008.

Erik Weisman, investment officer and portfolio manager at MFS Investment Management, had one question for journalists gathered at the firm’s 21st annual investment outlook: “Where’s the V?”

NEW YORK - The main driver for the global economy is coming from emerging markets, said investment experts at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney at a breakfast Wednesday on the firm's outlook for next year.

Robert Kelly, Bank of New York Mellon’s chairman and chief executive officer, said a “huge" amount of uncertainty remains in the economy and until the housing situation is sorted out and unemployment is reduced, the financial system will remain uncorrected.

BOSTON-A chorus of revolutionaries convinced that traditional, growth, value and blend style-dominated asset allocation needs to be replaced by strategic, tactical allocation was quite vocal at FundForum 2010 USA here last week.

U.S. small-cap value stocks-consumer discretionary, industrials, financials and energy in particular-are poised to deliver solid returns as the economy and the stock market continue to improve, according to investment officers at recent outlook briefings.

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.

Although 78% of chief financial officers think the economy might not recover for another two years, 39% are planning to increase their capital investments in 2011, mostly on new technology.

Franklin Resources managed to deliver a slight increase in profits for its fiscal fourth quarter ended Sept. 30. Profits rose 1.5% to $372.9 million, or $1.65 a share, from $367.4 million, or $1.59 a share, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009.

DST Systems reported net income of $54.3 million, or $1.16 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2010, a 10.8% decline from the $60.9 million, or $1.21 per diluted share, it earned in the third quarter of 2009.

Morningstar reported it earned $20.8 million in the third quarter, or 41 cents a diluted share, a 7.5% decrease from the $22.5 million, or 45 cents a diluted share, it earned in the third quarter of 2009.

Smaller investment firms deliver stronger returns and better downside protection in volatile markets than larger firms when investing in U.S. large-cap stocks, Northern Trust found.

Spectrem Group’s Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index rose six points in October to zero, a neutral reading and its highest level in nearly three years, and the Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index rose three points to minus 13, a mildly bearish reading.

Waddell & Reed Financial reported third quarter net income of $40.5 million, or 47 cents per diluted share, up 21% from $33.4 million, or 39 cents per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2009.

The State Street Investor Confidence Index, which measures the actual buying and selling of institutional investors, fell 1.9 points in October to 86.2 from 88.1 the month before. In North America, confidence fell even more, by 3.2 points, to 84.9 from 88.1.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased slightly in October after decreasing a small amount in September. The index now stands at 50.2, up from 48.6 in September.

TD Ameritrade Tuesday reported that it attracted a record $34 billion in new assets in fiscal 2010 ended Sept. 30, an 11% increase from assets held at the beginning of the year.

Business owners are not planning to hire and most advisers are not expecting the economy to recover next year.