Investments

Erik Weisman, investment officer and portfolio manager at MFS Investment Management, had one question for journalists gathered at the firm’s 21st annual investment outlook: “Where’s the V?”

When it comes to hedge funds winning institutional business, the amount of resources dedicated to client service means everything and more, a study of mid-sized firms has concluded.

Asset managers are in a race to develop products that provide guaranteed retirement income, effectively duplicating annuities.

Franklin Templeton Investments announced Wednesday it has entered into a strategic relationship with Pelagos Capital Management, LLC, acquiring a 20% equity stake in the firm.

The ­Securities and Exchange Commission would violate the Tower Amendment and the principles of federalism if it applies its proposed rules on asset-backed securities to municipal bonds, 14 market groups warned this week.

The optimal combination of high corporate bond yields and budding investment returns for defined benefit plans was not evident in this year’s third quarter, as pensions’ worldwide saw an “offset of strong investment returns” due to the decline in yields, Towers Watson said.

Modest growth is predicted for 2011 approaches, with equities showing promise and emerging markets looking particularly attractive for investors, according ING’s head of asset allocation.

Imagine this: An entire generation of investors has accumulated a significant amount of investable cash, but was too apprehensive of the stock market, of advisors, and of the potential costs, to know how to invest the money.

ING’s asset allocation chief says inflation won’t be a factor in the near future.

Combined market volatility and low interest rates have created the ideal environment for indexed annuity sales as fixed products continue to suffer, LIMRA says.

And 38% have a target nest egg in mind.

The SEC will vote on raising the threshold for registration from $25 million to $100 million.

The story in the municipal bond market this month has been bleak. The story in the municipal bond exchange-traded fund ­market has been even bleaker.

NetX360 has a 96% adoption rate among affiliated advisors in the RIA and broker-dealer channels.

According to a survey of advisors, the answer is yes, but in other asset classes, there is no clear-cut leader.

The Hedge Fund Association said it is adamantly opposed to the establishment of a self-regulatory organization for hedge funds, which the Government Accountability Office is currently investigating under the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Build America Bonds have entered a world of their own.

Fund managers are moving to get independent values on over-the-counter derivatives, rather than relying on their broker-dealers.

Dan Martino, manager of the T. Rowe Price Media and Telecommunications Fund, has two big advantages over competing fund managers.

Grail Partners’ chairman likens the future role of ETFs to the advent of personal computers.