Investment products

Grail Advisors, a provider of actively managed exchange-traded funds, has recruited Gary Black, the former chief executive officer of Janus, to serve as a director on its advisory board.

ETF Securities has launched two exchange-traded funds that are the first to be physically backed by platinum and palladium. The company already offers ETFs backed by gold and silver.

Klopp joins as head of Americas real estate investing and global real estate debt investing

Global growth last year: a massive 45.2%

Bank life insurance sales growth has far exceeded overall industry growth for the second quarter in a row.

In an effort to capitalize on what some have dubbed “the Year of the Roth,” Huntington Bancshares’ wealth management arm is planning a direct-mailing campaign for a targeted group of customers.

The funds span a wide range of asset classes and sectors, including equity, fixed income, real estate and specialty securities.

The ongoing impact of the financial crisis, coupled with the specter of greater governmental oversight, will color the outlook for the life insurance industry in the year ahead, according to New York-based Ernst & Young’s Global Insurance Center 2010 U.S. Outlook.

Investors will continue to reallocate cash into the markets.

In 2009, mid-cap ETFs had the largest gain.

Sector shows strength as Treasuries spike

With an increasing number of fund companies offering actively managed exchange-traded funds, including John Hancock, T. Rowe Price and PIMCO, this could be the new hot mutual fund category, some executives told Seeking Alpha.

Mixed emotions as earnings season begins, from Lord Abbett, Turner Investments, and more, including the week in reports.

Axa Equitable’s new product comes at a time when variable annuity providers are doing lots of tinkering with their offerings.

Eighty percent of fund managers expect the stock market to continue to rise in 2010, fueled by real corporate earnings growth, rather than aggressive cost-cutting, Russell Investments found.

WisdomTree Investments has introduced the WisdomTree International Hedge Equity Fund, an exchange-traded fund-of-fund.

BlackRock Friday threw a new type of product into the mix in the rapidly growing and evolving municipal bond exchange-traded fund industry.

Jefferies said that independent M&A activity is sure to increase over the next two decades

Advisors can select from 14 different investment approaches designed to satisfy their clients’ various risk tolerance levels and tax situations.

A large proportion of dividends were previously provided by financial companies, which are no longer in a position to pay out.