Mutual funds

Mutual funds’ fair value procedures are holding up amid the unprecedented market volatility that has resulted from economic uncertainty, Middle East unrest and environmental disasters, Deloitte found in its Ninth Annual Fair Value Pricing Survey. This year’s survey queried executives at 79 asset management firms around the world with more than 3,300 fund offerings with $2.6 trillion in assets under management.

August’s mutual fund outflows reflected investors’ jittery mood, with money pouring out of most investment categories.

In a period of high market volatility like now, many mutual funds can be capital gains time bombs for investors including those buy-and-hold types who do just as their advisors recommend and sit tight while everyone else is fleeing the market.

Fidelity Investments has added five funds to its Spartan equity index lineup: the Spartan Emerging Markets Index, Spartan Global ex-U.S. Index, Spartan Real Estate, Spartan Mid-Cap and Spartan Small-Cap funds. This brings the total number of funds in this family to 13.

Investors yanked $33.6 billion out of U.S. mutual funds in August, one of the biggest months on record with redemptions, according to Strategic Insight. Year-to-date, redemptions have totaled $21.2 billion, according to the research firm.

Sub-advised mutual fund assets will grow 29% over the next five years, rising from $1.7 trillion to $2.2 trillion in 2016, Financial Research Corp. predicts. This will result in an 11% compound annual growth rate.

Sub-advised mutual fund assets will grow 29% over the next five years, rising from $1.7 trillion to $2.2 trillion in 2016, Financial Research Corp. predicts. This will result in an 11% compound annual growth rate.

After underperforming its benchmark and losing two-thirds of its assets under the watch of Harry Lange, the Fidelity Magellan Fund has a new manager. Jeffrey S. Feingold is now running the $17.4 billion fund.

Driving down costs with more technological innovation and avoiding regulatory hurdles and losses through far more robust risk management are two of the key concerns of mutual fund boards today.

The concept release is out. And the Securities and Exchange Commission wants to know: Just how much leverage should a mutual fund have?

Fair value is of particular importance amid the heightened market volatility, according to a new report from Interactive Data Corp. This is particularly true of international equities, the firm said, basing its findings on a survey of fund companies.

Neuberger Berman has introduced the Neuberger Berman Global Equity Fund and the Neuberger Berman Global Thematic Opportunities Fund, complements, the firm says, to the Neuberger Berman Global Allocation Fund introduced in June.

QuantShares on Wednesday announced it has licensed seven indexes in the Dow Jones U.S. Thematic Market Neutral Indexes series for individual exchange-traded funds. The ETF start-up has been planning the funds since January.

Deloitte Consulting has promoted Elizabeth Krentzman from principal to head of its mutual fund practice, a new position at the firm that oversees its auditing, tax, financial advisory and consulting businesses for the fund industry.

Franklin Templeton has launched the Franklin Templeton Global Allocation Fund, which will take a tactical asset allocation approach and consistently adjust its allocations to a widely diversified portfolio of equities, fixed income, cash and derivatives.

PIMCO has launched the PIMCO Credit Absolute Return Fund, a go-anywhere type of fixed income fund that will employ some hedging strategies, including shorting and credit default swap derivatives, and be managed by Mark Kiesel.

As actively managed funds lose their luster, the mutual fund industry is working to capitalize on new trends.

Yields on money market funds have eroded since 2007, but the worst days may be over.

BNY Mellon Asset Management tapped Christopher Sheldon as its new chief investment officer of The Dreyfus Corporation, the New York-based asset management and distribution firm overseeing more than $400 billion in mutual funds and separately managed accounts.

The assets held in mutual funds fell $219.2 billion in July -- before the announcement that Standard & Poor’s had cut its rating of U.S. debt for the first time ever.