Investment products

Investment management firm Matthews it will re-open two of its funds to new investors. The Matthews Asian Growth and Income and the Matthews Asia Small Companies funds will both reopen on Jan. 4, 2012.

Bank stocks were pounded again Monday on concerns that Basel III capital requirements would provide another blow to the beleaguered industry. Investors also dumped shares after European Central Bank head Mario Draghi gave a speech in which he offered little in the way of support to solve the region’s sovereign debt crisis.

U.S. stocks closed mixed Friday, wrapping up a forgettable week that featured a lot of anxiety about the goings-on in Europe and a better-than-expected jobs report.

The $241 billion PIMCO Total Return, which has underperformed its peers over the past year -- returning 3.48% year to date -- has been hit with $17 billion in outflows, Morningstar data shows. By comparison, taxable bond funds, which are up 5.87% YTD, took in $105.8 billion in inflows over the past 12 months.

Eleven of these additions are also being made to the Russell 2000 Index. Fifteen of the IPOs are also becoming part of the Russell ex-U.S. Index—12 of which are in Asia-Pacific, eight in emerging markets and four becoming part of the Russell Greater China Index.

Invesco has launched the Invesco Premium Income Fund, aimed at investors looking for current income streams, the investment management firm announced. The strategy is designed “to provide protection during periods of economic stress” while still meeting income goals, the firm said in a statement.

Investors pushed stocks higher for the first time this week Thursday after an initial jobless claims report checked in at a three-and-a-half week low and the Philadelphia’s Fed’s Business Outlook for December came in with a 10.3 reading – dramatically higher than the 4 score most economists had predicted.

Advisors agree almost unanimously that volatility will be a force to reckon with in the next two years, but 38% are not using managed volatility strategies in client portfolios, according to an SEI poll of 200 financial advisors.

Stocks recorded losses for a third day in row Wednesday as commodity and energy stocks fell amid persistent concerns that European banking officials aren’t doing enough to safeguard the region – and the rest of the world – from a more severe economic downturn.

The U.S. economy, while still vulnerable, has shown encouraging signs of progress over the last few months, according to a report released by TD Economics, an affiliate of TD Bank.

Equities and commodities are likely to perform better in 2012 than they did in 2011, according to Jack Malvey, chief global market strategist for BNY Mellon Asset Management.

One of the biggest topics on the minds of financial services executives in 2011 has been volatility, with a slew of articles and TV news stories pinning the blame on high-frequency trading, hedge funds and leveraged ETFs.

TIAA-CREF has launched the TIAA-CREF Global Natural Resources Fund, aimed at providing investors with diversification, a hedge against inflation and an opportunity to participate in the growing demand for resources among the world’s seven billion population.

When Nasdaq OMX Group Chief Executive Robert Greifeld took the stage at an event at his company’s Times Square office this week, he said the frequently cited high levels of volatility are a myth.

Bank and energy stocks pulled back Tuesday after the Federal Reserve Board’s Open Market Committee closed out the year with an uneventful meeting that indicates – at least for now – that the central bank is not planning another round of quantitative easing.

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.

Advisors' 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 advisors by Russell Investments found. The survey was conducted among 300 advisors at 132 firms nationwide.

NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Börse stepped up their proposal to divest assets in their derivatives businesses, in their effort to win clearance from European regulators for their merger.

U.S. stocks fell Monday after Moody's Investors Service said last week's European fiscal pact will not deter it from reconsidering the credit ratings of all European Union nations.

“For stocks, it is hardly likely to be smooth sailing from here, but conditions have certainly improved since the wild market swings that we saw over the summer.” – Bob Doll, Chief Equity Strategist for Fundamental Equities, BlackRock, blackrock.com