Investment products

European sovereign debt concerns and the U.S. debt-ceiling debacle spurred market volatility, pushing investors toward index-based equity funds.

One expert argues that dividend-paying stocks, not growth stocks, should be the building blocks of retirement portfolios

Total U.S. mutual fund assets increased by $161.5 billion to $12.338 trillion in July, according to the Investment Company Institute's official survey of the mutual fund industry.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 106.77 points Thursday to close at 13,000.71 while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 shed 32.48 points and 11.01 points, respectively.

The former CFO and Treasurer of Legg Mason's fixed income funds has been barred from the securities industry for altering books and records of one of the funds.

For the week ended August 22, investors pulled an estimated $4.48 billion from U.S. mutual funds, substantially more than the $2.72 billion they withdrew the week before.

With a new head of research on board, Lipper announced a new set of initiatives for the second half of 2012 that involves building out research and analytical tools.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 21.68 points Tuesday to finish at 13,102.99. The S&P 500 fell 1.14 points to end at 1,409.30 and the Nasdaq rose 3.95 points to close at 3,077.14.

Fixed income ETPs now account for 18% of global ETP assets, up from 7% in 2007 at the onset of the financial crisis, according to BlackRock. Bond ETPs garnered a 35% share of industry flows in the first seven months of 2012, according to a BlackRock report on the fixed income ETP landscape. …

Risk parity has become a popular allocation and risk management strategy in recent years. Do you know enough about it to provide guidance to your clients?

Total managed solutions assets ended the second quarter at $2.5 trillion, a decline of $600 million or less than 0.1% from the first quarter, according to data from The Money Management Institute.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average chopped off 33.30 points Monday to close at 13,124.67. The S&P 500 trimmed 0.69 points to end at 1,410.44 but the Nasdaq moved up 3.40 points to finish at 3,073.19.

Eighty-three percent employers made 401(k) advice available to plan participants, up from 42% in 2005, according to new data from Charles Schwab.

The appeal and practicality of guaranteed income investments is rising and your clients are willing to pay significant fees for the peace of mind, according to NFP Advisor Services Group President James Poer.

Hedge funds boosted bets on rising commodities to the highest in 15 months, driving prices into a bull market as the U.S. drought worsened and the Federal Reserve signaled it may take more steps to spur economic growth.

There has been a lot of chatter surrounding the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act and its inevitable impact on the job market. But what impact, if any, will it have on the hedge fund industry?

Fidelity Investments is planning to fold its Fidelity Advisor Stock Selector Mid Cap Fund in the Fidelity Advisor Growth Strategies Fund.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied up 100.51 points to Friday to close at 13,157.97 while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 moved up 16.39 points and 9.05 points, respectively.

Plan participants who pick their own mix of investment options are generally exposed to greater risk due to reduced diversification, according to The Principal.

ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens said the "exhaustive record" before the SEC did not support the changes that it was proposing.