Investments

American workers lapsed into investing inertia after the market collapsed in 2008, but standing still actually benefited many and helped their workplace retirement plan balances rebound by 31% between 2007 and 2010, Vanguard said.

After a strong start in the first four months of 2011, exchange-traded funds and mutual funds both saw cash flow out of products that invest long-term in stocks at the end of the second quarter.

The John Hancock Investor Sentiment Index fell four points in the second quarter to 18, down from 22 in the first quarter, when John Hancock debuted the index.

Euro Pacific Asset Management has launched the EuroPac Hard Asset Fund¸ designed to mitigate against inflation and the dollar devaluation.

After reaching its highest point since the beginning of the recession, 46.7 in June, the RBC Consumer Outlook Index retreated by three points to 43.7 in July.

After rising in the first quarter, The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence retreated sharply in the second quarter to 55, down 12 points from 67. While still above 50, which reflects a more positive than negative outlook, the reading seems to indicate chief executive officers are bracing for slower growth.

American workers lapsed into investing inertia after the market collapsed in 2008, but standing still actually benefited many and helped their workplace retirement plan balances rebound by 31% between 2007 and 2010, Vanguard said this week.

Wells Fargo Funds Management has launched the Wells Fargo Advantage Dow Jones Target 2055 Fund, a target-date fund benchmarked against the Dow Jones Target 2055 Index and sub-advised by Global Index Advisors, State Street Global Advisors and Wells Capital Management.

JPMorgan Chase said it agreed to pay $211.2 million to settle federal and state probes into the conduct of some of its former workers on its municipal derivatives desk, prior to 2006.

REITs continue to beat the S&P 500, according to NAREIT, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. In the first half of 2011, U.S. REITs were up almost 10%, compared to 6% for the S&P 500.

Hedge fund managers have turned decidedly bearing on U.S. equities and the economy, according to a survey of 87 managers by TrimTabs Investment Research and BarclayHedge.

The Discover U.S. Spending Monitor, a daily poll of 8,200 consumers tracking their confidence in the economy and spending intentions, recorded its largest one-month decline in June, falling 4.4 points from 89.5 to 85.1—indicating that the majority of Americans believe the economy and their own personal finances are worsening.

Wells Fargo Funds Management has launched the Wells Fargo Advantage Dow Jones Target 2055 Fund, a target-date fund benchmarked against the Dow Jones Target 2055 Index and sub-advised by Global Index Advisors, State Street Global Advisors and Wells Capital Management.

J.P. Morgan Asset Management has been selected as the investment manager for New York’s $1.9 billion 529 college savings plan. After completing the extensive request for proposal process, J.P. Morgan said, negotiations will now begin on the details of the seven-year agreement.

Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, have become increasingly popular among investors because they're more liquid and tax efficient than mutual funds and give them exposure to stocks, bonds and commodities they otherwise might not be able to access.

The wind is at the back of alternative energy and it has a sunny future that investors should prepare to capitalize on. That’s the word from Anna Davydova, portfolio manager of the Fidelity Select Environment and Alternative Energy Fund.

As the economy falters amid recent market volatility and mixed labor reports, second quarter employee confidence related to job security, pay raises and the job market has retreated to levels last seen in the height of the recession, according to a survey of 2,203 adults by Glassdoor.

The number of dividend increases rose 32.5% in the second quarter of 2011 to 444, up from 335 in the second quarter of 2010, Standard & Poor’s Indices said.

S&P Indices this week said 444 publicly traded firms increased their dividend payouts in the second quarter, a 32.5% increase from the 335 companies that bolstered shareholders' balances in the year-ago quarter.

Assets in U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded notes rose 39% from a year ago to $1.098 trillion at the end of June, up from nearly $788 billion at the end of June 2010, the National Stock Exchange said.