Investment products

The CBOE Futures Exchange reported that February 2012 was the second most-active trading month in its history with volume totaling 1,340,780 contracts.

Here’s an interactive slide show detailing the best investment ideas for this election year from seven financial advisors practicing throughout the country.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 28 points to finish at 12,980.30 Thursday while tech stocks lifted the Nasdaq 22 points to end at 2,988.97.

For some Dow components (and their investors), February was a heartbreaker. Here’s an interactive slide show highlighting the 5 worst-performing Dow component stocks for February 2012.

Fidelity Investments has launched an initiative dubbed “Thinking Big,” for publicly promoting the research of its investment analysts and experts. The firm will launch the initiative in conjunction with its sponsorship of the 2012 TED conference, an annual event that brings together global thought leaders.

Bank of America has added a new investment offering to its Merrill Edge program for mass-affluent investors.

For some companies, there was a lot to love about February. Here’s an interactive slide show highlighting the 5 best-performing Dow component stocks for February 2012.

We applaud diversifying into different asset classes, but memories of recent losses are keeping too many people out of the equity markets.

Stocks are beating bonds, small caps are outperforming large caps and high beta is leading low beta.

Even better, REITs may be on an acquisition streak this year

It's often more beneficial in the wealth creation process to go against the grain and do what is uncomfortable

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 53 points to close at 12,952.07 Wednesday while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 shed 20 points and 6.50 points, respectively, in the final trading day of the month.

Here’s an interactive slide show detailing the best investment ideas for this election year from seven financial advisors practicing throughout the country.

Hungry for healthier returns, more mutual funds are investing in commodities, commodity futures, swaps and options.

Institutional investors continued the pattern established late in 2011 of reducing allocations to equities, according to results of the State Street Investor Confidence Index for February 2012.

NYSE Euronext said its annual report to the SEC that it incurred $85 million of legal, banking and other expenses in 2011 from its unsuccessful plan to merge with Deutsche Boerse.

Advisors with clients who want to move money into real estate investments known as tenant-in-common offerings under section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code need to be wary.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average trimmed off 1.74 points to close at 12,982.95 Friday while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 added 6.77 points and 2.28 points, respectively.

Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott, says a diversified portfolio of dividend-paying stocks can help investors meet today’s expenses as well as those to come in the years ahead.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied up 46 points to close at 12.984.69 Thursday as investors took a shine to stocks in virtually all the major industries following a one-day sell-off.