Investments

Regulatory approval of Eaton Vance's non-transparent ETF has its industry competitors closely studying its offering to determine how its proposal succeeded where others failed, and whether they need to develop and offer their own version.

Seniors should discuss their plans with their partners and designate a family member to manage their bills if necessary; Plus, clients should put their bonus in a retirement account.

Money managers’ profits in North America last year surpassed pre-crisis levels, rebounding to $34 billion on asset and revenue growth, according to a study by McKinsey & Co. Profits were 18% above the pre-crisis peak in 2007 after assets reached $30 trillion. Profits at asset managers globally also moved past 2007 levels, increasing 15% to $65 billion from 2007. Assets reached a record $64 trillion last year.

A change in S&P Dow Jones investment classifications has the potential to change both the makeup and the perception of some dividend-focused ETFs.

"He clearly wouldn't be walking way [from American Realty Capital] if things were business as usual,” says Aite Group analyst Alois Pirker. “The optics are just not very good."

John Hancock Investments president and CEO Andrew Arnott discusses the strategic decisions the firm made as it reengineered itself following its 2004 acquisition by Canadian insurer Manulife Financial, the challenges facing asset managers in answering alternative investment demand and even potential competition from non-traditional players entering the asset management space.

Stung by poor returns and large redemptions, 889 hedge funds worldwide shut in the first 11 months of the year, above the annual average of 810 in the five years since the global financial crisis of 2008, according to figures from research firm Eurekahedge. In contrast, 56 Asia-focused funds had closed by the end of November, less than half the average 135 closures in the previous five years.

With ETF assets now poised to cross the $2 trillion mark in the U.S., industry experts discuss the rapid growth, innovation and market acceptance of exchange traded products in the last decade.

RCS Executive Chairman Nicholas Schorsch and two other top executives resigned from American Realty Capital Properties.

With ETF assets now poised to cross the $2 trillion mark in the U.S., industry experts gathered at the annual IMN global indexing and ETF conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., marveled at the rapid growth, innovation and market acceptance of exchange traded products in the last decade.

The net-long position in gold rose 31% to 104,532 futures and options contracts in the week ended Dec. 9, according to U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data. “We are seeing safety trade toward gold,” says Peter Sorrentino, a senior vice president who helps oversee $1.8 billion at Huntington Asset Advisors in Cincinnati.

High-income workers can contribute more than $30K to their Roth IRA every year despite contribution limits imposed on this type of retirement account; plus, how investors can use the drop in oil prices to boost retirement income.

Retirement calculators only give an opinion of the sufficiency of retirement savings and do not provide an accurate assessment; plus, what to do when markets tumble.

Advisors still have time to come up with significant savings for their clients.

The industry saw ETF inflows break a record, Russell Indexes liquidating a fund and mergers between asset manager service providers.

The tax and financial advantages of a charitable gift annuity are substantial, but sometimes oversold. Make sure donor clients understand how these annuities work.

Third-quarter sales of annuities receded to $56.9 billion, down 5% from the previous quarter and 1% from the same period last year.

Research into understanding the human element of investment decisions exposes a flaw that, according to AthenaInvest CEO and director of research Tom Howard, currently exists in active management: despite corporate advertising to the contrary, he says, most fund managers can only be active toward a certain number of picks and fund volume.

The soaring stock market this year has provided a boon for investors age 65 and over even more than people from other age groups; plus, sales pitches about annuities can distract savers from making an informed investing decision.

As a rout in energy prices spreads to global equities, investors are returning to gold to take cover. Assets in the SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest bullion exchange-traded product, rose yesterday at the fastest pace since July. The holdings are up almost 1% in December, snapping four straight months of losses.