Fund performance

In light of Legg Mason Inc.’s recent struggles and dropping stock price, the company has slashed the pay of CEO Mark Fetting and its founder Raymond “Chip” Mason, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox announced this week that the SEC will be conducting an internal inquiry into the structure of its current disclosure system, creating a “fundamental rethinking of financial disclosure.”

When things start to go bad in the stock market or the economy in general, previously ignored things like mutual fund fees can suddenly irk investors.

Plans are currently underway to create a new commodities exchange in Hong Kong, potentially giving China a larger role in setting the world’s petroleum prices and adding to the reputation it craves as a global, economic powerhouse.

Hedge funds have recently increased their investment in aggressive, exchange-traded funds.

Recent hikes in oil prices and far-too-turbulent markets may have caused unwanted stress for investors, but Steven Lehman thinks he might be able to provide a glimpse of hope to pessimists by ditching the traditional pattern of investing domestically, according to The Wall Street Journal.

For the next few days, 1,500 fund managers from across the nation will gather in Chicago for the 2008 Morningstar Investment Conference, with the hopes of hearing new ideas and investment strategies that can help them reengage their clients in investments.

Lately, many frustrated preferred investors have searched for an opportunity to cash in on the subprime crisis and move on. Responding directly to investor woes, several closed-end fund companies like Nuveen Investments Inc. and Eaton Vance Corp. decided that they would be offering investors a chance to redeem their auction-rate preferred securities, The Wall Street Journal reports

Due to prolonged weak results, the Vanguard Group announced that David Fassnacht has been replaced as the portfolio manager of the $19.2 billion Windsor Fund (VWNDX) and the $490 million Vanguard Capital Value Fund (VCVLX), Dow Jones reports.

Investing in commodities—especially energy—has always been a way to make money in a weak economy, and this past year was no exception, Kiplinger’s reports. As the economy suffered, pension funds, hedge funds and mutual funds linked to commodities grew. However, as crude oil reaches $135 a barrel, the success of commodity investment might be facing a change

Since the redesign of JPMorgan’s Fund Management adviser website, usage of the site has increased, resulting in benefits for both advisers and investors. The improved design and usability of the site is a collaboration of the top practices of other successful financial management sites, offering improvements in design and convenience for advisers’ usage.

Morningstar has upgraded its investment planning site, Advisor Workstation Office Edition. Of primary focus are the additions to the asset allocation and portfolio construction functions of the site.

In light of the crisis of confidence in rating agencies following the subprime crisis, the Securities and Exchange Commission will diminish the importance of money market fund managers’ reliance on such agencies when investing in short-term debt.

The Supreme Court's recent decision in LaRue v DeWolff to permit workers in 401(k) plans to sue administrators for high fees will inevitably lead to lower fees-and the end of the retail mutual fund industry's dominance of the market. That's the strong opinion of widely quoted, and frequent financial TV guest Ric Edelman.

NEW YORK - Hedge funds are notorious for being secretive, private investment pools, but the time has finally come for them to become more transparent in order to capture the billions of dollars floating around alpha-seeking institutional investors' pockets.

Invesco, the global investment management firm with its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, is continuing its efforts to evolve into a bigger global power brand with both diverse and expansive investment offerings. Parent company Invesco Ltd. is headquartered in London.

By now, investors are accustomed to the creative, informal "Talk to Chuck" advertisements of Charles Schwab & Co. in which animated, yet somewhat realistic, images of people gripe about trying to get through to other brokers, but take heart at the thought of reaching Chuck Schwab, the man, through one of his people.

The recent mortgage market crisis has opened a Pandora's box of white-collar cases probed by the U.S. attorney’s Eastern District office.

Goldman Sachs and Deloitte & Touche LLP announced they had finalized plans to unload a portion of a $7 billion structured investment vehicle, which was set up by U.K. hedge fund manager Cheyne Capital Management LLP, according to a recent report by Bloomberg.

When the value of the dollar decreases, Americans are apt to invest in tangible assets such as real estate. As depreciation continues, it comes as no surprise that real estate mutual funds (REMFs) have grown 6% so far this year. What is surprising, however, is seeing financial success in one of the worst real estate markets in years.