Investments

With the risk of a second downturn in the U.S. economy rising and debt problems continuing to plague Europe, many investors are shunning the equities market altogether. Meanwhile, the rush to safety in fixed-income investments has driven yields down to “incredibly low” levels, according to analysts.

Analysts at Standard & Poor's are looking to exchange-traded funds rooted in individual countries as a vehicle for advisors and their clients to compensate for sustained weakness in the U.S. economy.

Krusen Capital Management, investment advisor to a hedge-fund platform, has added Boston-based Windham Capital Management to its roster of hedge fund and private-equity managers.

Driving down costs with more technological innovation and avoiding regulatory hurdles and losses through far more robust risk management are two of the key concerns of mutual fund boards today.

Analysts at Standard & Poor's are looking to exchange-traded funds rooted in individual countries as a vehicle for advisors and their clients to compensate for sustained weakness in the U.S. economy.

Instinet said it handled 43 percent more volume in the trading of stocks in the United States in August, compared to July.

Forty-two percent of hedge fund managers became bearish on stocks in August, up markedly from 27% who were pessimistic in July, according to a survey by BarclayHedge and TrimTabs Investment Research. This is the largest percentage of bearish hedge fund managers in a year.

The constant barrage of bad news has eroded consumer, investor and business confidence to dangerously low levels.

As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Traditionally, municipal bonds have been sold to investors in units of $1,000 or even $5,000 or $10,000 per bond, a size that deters many smaller investors or leads them to turn to a bond fund. Now California is doing something about that by offering $25 mini-bonds.

Bank-affiliated brokerages have been big revenue earners for banks, especially since the financial crisis struck in 2008, but a new Aite Group study found that banks could and should be doing much more to boost revenues from cross-selling wealth management products to retail bank customers.

The concept release is out. And the Securities and Exchange Commission wants to know: Just how much leverage should a mutual fund have?

First Trust Advisors has selected JPMorgan to sponsor 21 exchange-traded funds it is listing on the Mexican stock exchange, Bolsa Mexicana de Valores.

Fair value is of particular importance amid the heightened market volatility, according to a new report from Interactive Data Corp. This is particularly true of international equities, the firm said, basing its findings on a survey of fund companies.

Recent market calamities will continue to put a damper on asset growth and margins, as investors are likely to continue to embrace more conservative, lower-fee investment choices, Kasina predicts.

Most analysts and economists believe the Federal Reserve Board is practically compelled to do something to help boost the economy when it meets later this month. If and when the Fed makes a move, it will likely have a negative impact on bond funds.

Neuberger Berman has introduced the Neuberger Berman Global Equity Fund and the Neuberger Berman Global Thematic Opportunities Fund, complements, the firm says, to the Neuberger Berman Global Allocation Fund introduced in June.

State Street Corp. has launched a derivatives clearing service, complete with a swaps clearing platform. With this launch, State Street now offers a complete, end-to-end derivatives solution, complete with servicing, custody, accounting, collateral management, valuation, risk controls and analytics.

As registered investment advisors and fee-based advisers are challenged by increasing market volatility and declines, they are turning to alternative investment classes and tactical allocation to protect their clients’ portfolios. This was the major finding of a survey of 500 professionals by Jefferson National.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority on Wednesday said that it fined five brokerages close to $1 million for gouging clients in "postage and handling" fees.