Investments

Thomson Reuters has launched a proprietary index designed to measure trust in global financial institutions called the Thomson Reuters TRrust Index.

Why do investors need foreign stocks or funds? Why not just buy U.S. companies that do a great deal or even most of their business overseas? A number of factors make international companies and funds attractive.

Thomson Reuters has launched a proprietary index designed to measure trust in global financial institutions called the Thomson Reuters TRrust Index (TRust Index).

Morningstar has rolled out the next generation of Morningstar® Retirement ManagerSM, an advice and managed account service for defined contribution participants in the United States.

Primerica is incorporating two additional annuity products from Lincoln Financial Group into its retirement lineup.

Vanguard is establishing an intermediary business in Hong Kong. Along with the new business unit, Vanguard also said the announcement of its first locally domiciled product offering in Hong Kong is imminent.

Two or three years ago, institutional investors primarily used ETFs for tactical purposes, holding them for less than one year. But now they are using them strategically as well, according to the 2013 Greenwich Associates study of trends in institutional usage of ETFs, which was sponsored by iShares.

The T. Rowe Price New Era Fund is getting a new manager. Timothy Parker, the fund’s current manager will leave to pursue other opportunities, the firm’s spokeswoman told Money Management Executive.

For years, Lincoln Financial has effectively been raising prices on its variable annuities, yet consumers keep buying. The company’s VA business exceeds desired levels now, so further price increases have been announced: cutbacks in benefits offered to consumers. The expected result is a boost in second-quarter business but a slowdown in the second half of 2013.

Before you begin reaching out to a potential client, know the rules of their home country.

While ETFs open the door to the entire foreign stock universe, they can also substantially alter sector weightings.

While many Americans are comfortable investing in foreign multinational companies whose brands are household names in the U.S., the prospect of owning smaller overseas equities can be intimidating.

Two former chairs of the Senate Budget Committee – one Republican, one Democrat – said the nation can come up with a debt deal and that would lead to explosive growth in the nation’s economy. And possibly the world’s.

Chairman Mary Jo White told the general membership meeting of the ICI that the SEC will “propose meaningful money market reform.’’ And that developing its next round of reform measures will be made with international regulation in mind.

Columbia plans to offer the Columbia International Value Fund, which will invest at least 80% of its total asset in equity securities of foreign companies that have market capitalizations of more than $1 billion at the time of purchase, according to the registration filing.

American Century is rebranding its target-date funds, dropping the LIVESTRONG name, which is associated with Lance Armstrong, and branding the funds as One Choice Portfolios.

meaningful money market reform.’’ And that developing its next round of reform measures will be made with international regulation in mind.

Globally, exchange traded products are scooping up assets on a faster pace than in 2012, according to BlackRock’s April 2013 ETP Landscape Report.

Independent broker-dealers and RIAs have the edge over wirehouses when it comes to adding mutual fund assets under management, according to Access Data and Strategic Insight.

SEC chairman Mary Jo White made no comment Friday on what new reforms for the money market fund industry will come out of her administration, except that its proposal will be “appropriate and balanced.”