Mutual funds

State Street Corporation today unveiled the State Street Fund InsightsSM Valuation Toolkit to provide timely industry insights for fund managers and directors and help them better manage data.

Securities and Exchange Commissioner Elisse Walter told fund executives gathered at the ICI Mutual Funds conference to stop discussing the reform of money market mutual funds through “a public volley of slogans.’’

Commissioner Elisse Walter told fund industry executives Monday to re-engage with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a new round of reform of money market mutual funds – and end its “unconstructive disengagement’’ on the subject.

The SEC might just kill the patient it is trying to cure, according to Karrie McMillan, general counsel of the Investment Company Institute.

Mutual funds may soon report not just to the Securities and Exchange Commission but the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as well, in some circumstances.

The liquidity of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, as well as their operating costs, could be collateral damage, depending on how the Volcker Rule precluding proprietary trading by banks gets implemented, Investment Company Institute general counsel Karrie McMillan will argue Monday at the 2012 ICI Mutual Funds and Investment Management Conference in Phoenix.

The liquidity of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, as well as their operating costs, could be collateral damage, depending on how the Volcker Rule precluding proprietary trading by banks gets implemented, ICI general counsel Karrie McMillan will argue Monday at the 2012 ICI Mutual Funds and Investment Management Conference in Phoenix.

Securities and Exchange Commission proposals to require capital buffers and embargoes on withdrawals or to let the net asset value of money market funds float could destroy the gains made by reforms enacted in 2010 , ICI general counsel Karrie McMillan will proclaim Monday at the 2012 ICI Mutual Funds and Investment Management Conference in Phoenix.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission will introduce duplicative and inconsistent regulation if it persists in bringing mutual funds under its purview, ICI general counsel Karrie McMillan will assert Monday at the 2012 ICI Mutual Funds and Investment Management Conference in Phoenix.

Fenimore Asset Management has promoted 20-year veteran Debra Perez to senior vice president, responsible for long-term strategic planning and growth of investment vehicles and services.

Putnam Investments has named Scott C. Sipple as head of investment product management and development, responsible for overseeing the firm's equity, fixed income and global asset allocation product management and development teams.

On the heels of the launch of PIMCO's and Bill Gross' first active exchange-traded fund, BlackRock has thrown its hat into the active ETF space with a proposed offering of its own.

Advisors chasing alpha on behalf of their clients have a continuously growing menu of investment options to choose from thanks to the proliferation of alternative mutual funds.

Behold the typical mutual fund investor. This prime customer, according to the Investment Company Institute, has $80,000 in household income and $200,000 in financial assets. This customer typically had $120,000 invested in four mutual funds.

Merrill Edge provides investment products and services for the "mass affluent" customer, defined by Bank of America as people with $50,000-$250,000 in total household investable assets.

Alternative mutual funds, specifically managed futures funds, are becoming a hot commodity for advisors looking to add diversification and dampen volatility in their portfolios.

San Francisco-based Forward Management is looking to boost it sales and marketing efforts in anticipation of increasing advisor interest for alternative mutual funds.

American Funds American Mutual Fund was one of two mutual funds given a gold rating this week by Morningstar, Inc.

Henderson Global Investors today revealed that that, effective April 2, Iain Clark is stepping down from the daily management and operations of the International Opportunities Fund.

Nuveen Investments has promoted two portfolio managers, Emily Alejos and Andrew Thelen, to the position of co-chief investment officer of its Tradewinds Global Investors unit.