Investments

Con artists are taking advantage of the legalization of medical marijuana to lure investors into buying stock in weed-related companies, regulators said.

Bloomberg -- President Barack Obama met with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and other financial regulators to urge quicker progress on implementing the Dodd-Frank law.

The estimated U.S. mutual fund asset flows for July 2013 were released by Morningstar today. Investors added $15.9 billion to long-term mutual funds in July, driven by inflows of $7.9 billion into international-equity funds.

Visium Asset Management announced the launch of the Visium Event Driven Fund (VIDVX). This is the first mutual fund offering for the alternative asset management firm, which was founded in 2005.

As low interest rates and sluggish loan demand continue to make healthy profit streams from traditional deposit and lending activities harder to come by at financial institutions, investment programs are increasingly viewed as a critical channel for generating non-interest income.

Bank of America has launched a campaign around socially responsible investing that is designed to enhance products and services available to a growing segment of clients concerned with value-based investing.

Responding to increased client demand, the firm has launched new efforts to enhance its socially responsible investment options.

LPL wants its advisors to know that it has heard their complaints and is doing something about them.

Since 2008, investors have sought new investment strategies less affected by market downturns. At the same time, many hedge fund managers who survived the collapse with positive returns are looking to expand their offerings to the retail market. Adding budget cuts and new regulations to the mix creates a recipe for potential problems.

The majority of American workers accept responsibility for financing their own retirement and are relying primarily on their 401(k) to get them there, but many lack the confidence to effectively manage their retirement savings.

Raymond James has added to its Private Client Group (PCG) with a key senior management appointment.

When President Obama unveiled his budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1, it represented a wish list.

The bank launched new proprietary ETF portfolios that it says provide exposure to global investment opportunities by leveraging the international perspective of its parent, BNP Paribas.

Despite the controversy and repeated delays, the IRS and the Treasury Department have been moving forward slowly with implementing FATCA, including the release of a draft version of Form 8966.

Investors are favoring U.S. stocks over emerging markets by the most ever as fund flows and volatility measures show institutions are increasingly seeking the relative safety of American equities.

BLOOMBERG -- The U.S. government urged General Motors Co. (GM) to improve pensions of some Delphi Automotive Plc (DLPH) union retirees while cutting those of salaried workers to help ensure a speedy emergence from a GM bankruptcy, the watchdog of the Troubled Asset Relief Program said.

Alternatives juggernaut Blackstone joined the likes of other fellow private investment firms The Carlyle Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) last month as the asset management practice continues its revolutionary switch in business focus out of institutional coffers and into the retail investment space.

Advisors, keep your eyes open for a new product that’s designed to help clients make investment decisions themselves that align with their values.

Merrill Lynch & Co. may be dead, but long live Merrill Lynch. While Bank of America has announced plans to dissolve Merrill Lynch & Co. as soon as the fourth quarter of this year, but the roughly 14,000 advisors operating in its brokerage division shouldn't see a name change.

These are stressful times for the mutual fund industry. An obvious statement, but one authored by a colleague ten years ago. Even more interesting is that the trends cited then are the same concerns that we hear from clients today. So what has changed?