Mutual funds

Here is to wishes for a successful New Year for those in the asset management industry and the investors it serves.

Three mutual funds that might do well next year all have one thing in common: they weren’t chosen because they were the absolute top performers in 2011. Instead, they were chosen on the basis of diversification, strong performance, level of risk and cost basis, said S&P Capital IQ mutual fund analyst Todd Rosenbluth.

Three mutual funds that might do well next year all have one thing in common: they weren’t chosen because they were the absolute top performers in 2011. Instead, they were chosen on the basis of diversification, strong performance, level of risk and cost basis.

Investors pulled a net $37.97 billion out of mutual funds in November, according to the latest numbers released today by the Investment Company Institute. Most of the outflows throughout the month came from equity funds and most of the inflows were posted by money market and fixed-income funds.

Volatility, the fear of a second worldwide recession, continued aversion to equity funds and uncertainty over Dodd-Frank regulatory fallout—all headlined 2011.

Aston Asset Management has launched the Aston/Silvercrest Small Cap Fund, sub-advised by Silvercrest Asset management Group, a high-quality, value-oriented boutique headquartered in New York.

Aston Asset Management has launched the Aston/Silvercrest Small Cap Fund, sub-advised by Silvercrest Asset management Group, a high-quality, value-oriented boutique headquartered in New York.

Retail sales are likely to rise this holiday season over last year — and that could mean a boost for some retail-oriented mutual funds.

Stock mutual funds lost $5.49 billion for the week ended Wednesday, Dec. 14, according to the latest statistics from the Investment Company Institute.

Dalbar has announced its 2011 Mutual Fund Service Award Winners in Financial Services—with top honors for customer service going to:

Global X Funds is liquidating eight of its exchange-traded funds, including a fund focused on emerging markets and another on waste management. All of the funds trade on NYSE Arca. The eight closings, scheduled for Feb. 27, with the last day of trading on Feb. 16, are:

A jury for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has ruled in favor of an SEC lawsuit against a former Prudential Securities registered rep for market timing mutual funds between 2001 and 2003.

Invesco has launched the Invesco Premium Income Fund, aimed at investors looking for current income streams. The strategy is designed “to provide protection during periods of economic stress” while still meeting income goals, the firm said.

Morningstar has announced its five nominees for the Morningstar Domestic Stock Fund Manager of the Year Award. The 2011 nominees are:

William Blair Funds has introduced the William Blair Small-Mid Cap Value Fund, aimed at delivering long-term capital appreciation and portfolio diversification by taking moderate risk.

Russell Global Index is absorbing 31 initial public offerings for the fourth quarter, effective Monday, Dec. 19.

William Blair Funds has introduced the William Blair Small-Mid Cap Value Fund, aimed at delivering long-term capital appreciation and portfolio diversification by taking moderate risk.

The $241 billion PIMCO Total Return, which has underperformed its peers over the past year—returning 3.48% year to date—has been hit with $17 billion in outflows, Morningstar data shows. By comparison, taxable bond funds, which are up 5.87% YTD, took in $105.8 billion in inflows over the past 12 months.

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According to the latest statistics from the Investment Company Institute, an estimated $5.76 billion left domestic equity mutual funds the week ended Dec. 7, continuing a long streak of net investor redemptions. Since May 1, investors have been pulled nearly $135 billion from U.S. stock funds.