Investment products

Steadfast Networks said Monday it acquired Radius IT, in a bid to create a network for financial trading.

As part of this transaction, U.S. Bancorp, FAF Advisors’ parent, received a 9.5% stake in Nuveen Investments and other cash considerations for FAF’s long term fund family.

Commodities have been on a tear as investors have sought alternatives to the volatile equity market, but several market experts believe that now is still a great time to buy, even though prices are high.

Experts gaze into their crystal balls, and surprisingly, agree on most predictions for this year.

Behavioral finance has been kicking around the halls of academia for several decades, but now some financial companies are finding ways to apply these concepts in the real world.

The key to handling complex issues associated with succession and estate planning is remaining impartial.

As confidence in global currencies wanes, the world's appetite for gold will increase.

New data released from Morningstar shows two of its indexes faced a more difficult month in November, as the asset class in general falls short of matching 2009’s performance.

A new report from Toronto-based Bullion Management Group urges investors to buffer their investments with bullion.

Frontier nation stocks may help to diversify a global portfolio

Life insurance seems to be the breakout product of 2010 on many levels for bank brokerage programs.

Many advisors have remained bullish over the past two years, telling investors to put money to work in this hot market.

The tax-free money market fund industry continues to shrink rapidly, squeezing what had been a major source of short-term credit for municipalities and arguably leading to higher borrowing costs for state and local governments.

One of the postings after a recent chat has started us all on a discussion of another possible way to handle this macroeconomic chore: Actually do your own evaluation of the markets and decide whether to be in or out.

Experts increasingly believe the bond rally has run its course.

Investors continued to ferry cash out of their municipal bond mutual funds at historic rates last week as a tumultuous sell-off sowed fear among buyers.

Morningstar said investors pulled $7.6 billion from muni bond funds, the category’s worst month for outflows except for the $8 billion redeemed in October 2008 during the credit crisis peak.

While the occasional active investor/mutual fund will beat the market over time, the odds are weighted powerfully against that happening.

Tax-exempt money market funds lost a sizable $2.09 billion, dropping total net assets to $326.88 billion for the week ending Dec. 13 and erasing nearly all gains from the previous week, according to the Money Fund Report, a service of iMoneyNet.com.

Ever since September 2008, clients are asking for more than you can possibly deliver: to keep track of the macro-economic big picture and help them get out of the market as soon as we start moving into another meltdown period. So the question is: How can we possibly respond to these lofty expectations?