Investments

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.

IndexIQ, an issuer of mutual funds and ETFs that replicate the investments of hedge funds, this week said some of its most popular products not only bested the performance of the S&P 500 Index, but they also outperformed many of the larger hedge funds, too.

QuantShares on Wednesday announced it has licensed seven indexes in the Dow Jones U.S. Thematic Market Neutral Indexes series for individual exchange-traded funds. The ETF start-up has been planning the funds since January.

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.

QuantShares on Wednesday announced it has licensed seven indexes in the Dow Jones U.S. Thematic Market Neutral Indexes series for individual exchange-traded funds. The ETF start-up has been planning the funds since January.

A tip of the hat to Standard & Poor’s?

NYSE Euronext said it experienced huge surges in stock-trading activity on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean during August. The operator of the New York and Paris stock exchanges said it handled 2.2 million trades a day in Europe, up 70.3 percent from a year ago. This was a record, it said.

Deloitte Consulting has promoted Elizabeth Krentzman from principal to head of its mutual fund practice, a new position at the firm that oversees its auditing, tax, financial advisory and consulting businesses for the fund industry.

Investors have flocked to exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded notes through the first eight months of the year. Year-to-date through August, net cash inflows were $73.2 billion, a 54% increase over the same period in 2010, according to data from National Stock Exchange, Inc.

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Los Angeles district office has obtained an emergency court order halting all operations and freezing the assets of a company it says has been “creating the illusion” for seven years that it was taking investors’ money and investing it in life settlements.