Mutual funds

Fidelity Investments’ venture capital unit has broken off from the fund giant to form an independent firm called Volition Capital. It will continue to manage its previous portfolio of 20 U.S. companies. Going forward, it will invest primarily in high-potential, founder-owned technology companies.

Investors contributed $1.1 billion to the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund in 2009, a 4.7% increase from the $1.05 billion they gave in 2008.

Renowned economist and author Nouriel Roubini said little to cheer advisors at today’s Investment Management Consultants Association conference in New York, predicting an anemic U-shaped economic recovery in the U.S.

Independent firms will help shape the mergers and acquisitions scene in the asset management industry in 2010, according to investment bank Jefferies & Co.

The 51-year-old man who shot and killed three people, injured another five and then committed suicide in St. Louis last Thursday at an ABB Power manufacturing plant where he had worked was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against ABB and Fidelity over 401(k) fees.

Janus Selects Weil as CEO

BRIC Funds Top Performers of 2009

Despite an overwhelming consensus among the scientific community that human activity is causing climate change, most of the world's largest investment managers do not factor climate-related trends into their short- and long-term investment decision making, a new study finds.

Vanguard was able to stand out in 2009 despite -- or perhaps because of -- a difficult market environment.

NEW YORK -- U.S. and international regulators are widely credited with having saved the global economy from plummeting into a second Great Depression, and the fragile, recovering economy can expect to see continued support for much of 2010, experts say.

After Janus appealed to the Supreme Court to dismiss a lawsuit against it for mutual fund market timing, the high court turned to the Obama administration for its input on the case, Janus Capital Group v. First Derivative Traders.

Last year was the worst year on record for dividends as more companies slashed their dividends than ever before, according to Standard & Poor’s.

Eighty percent of fund managers expect the stock market to continue to rise in 2010, fueled by real corporate earnings growth, rather than aggressive cost-cutting, Russell Investments found.

Seventy-three percent of 3,000 people that the Investment Company Institute polled said they are confident they will be able to retire, thanks to their 401(k) savings, and 90% gave a thumbs-up on the plans, citing their tax advantages, convenient payroll deductions, choices, control and the financial discipline they instill.

Long-term mutual funds took in $3.5 billion in the week ended Dec. 29, marking the 42nd straight week for positive inflows, which now top $416 billion, the Investment Company Institute said.

TD Ameritrade has unveiled a series of tools and resources to help investors better understand how the 2010 Roth IRA modifications might affect their retirement benefits.

Charles Schwab Corp. announced Thursday that it plans to reduce its online equity trade commissions and add new products in an effort to gather customers and assets.

Baron Funds has debuted the Baron Real Estate Fund, a fund that will invest directly in real estate as well as such real estate-related companies as management companies, building products, home furnishings, construction and engineering and infrastructure. The fund even has license to invest in hospitals and correctional facilities and up to 25% of its assets in securities of foreign issuers not publicly traded in the U.S.

Employers that automatically enroll their workers in 401(k) plans tend to match their employees’ savings at a lower level than other employers, according to a report from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

Janus Capital has selected Richard M. Weil, the former chief operating officer of PIMCO, as chief executive officer.