Mutual funds

The Baby Boomer generation is once again taking credit for saving the economy, according to Reuters.

MIAMI-Unified managed accounts (UMAs) continue to grow at the expense of legacy separately managed accounts (SMAs), according to a presentation at the National Investment Company Service Association's "7th Annual Managed Accounts Technology and Operations Conference" here last week, at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa.

Asset managers afraid to leave the safety of the herd are missing out on crucial opportunities for growth in international and emerging markets.

Prescott Joins FundQuest As Retirement Chief

Wisdom Tree Investments of New York is set to become the first asset management firm to launch an exchange-traded fund that invests exclusively in the emerging market country of India, with the planned launch of the Wisdom Tree India Earnings Fund ETF by the end of February.

NEW YORK-The marketplace for sub-advised and multi-managed funds is projected to continue growing as financial products become more complicated and fund shops look to outsource specialized work.

Last week's extreme volatility in the U.S. and international stock markets has many retirees and Baby Boomers approaching retirement worried that their life savings will fall short of expectations.

Way to go. Some marketing experts are beginning to get it right. The "Magical Mystery Tour" that's been the past 60 years of Baby Boomer buying power doesn't have to end with mutual fund companies instilling the dreaded fear of outliving one's retirement savings, dying impoverished and, possibly, alone.

Insured Bond Funds Quietly Outperform

UBS Global Asset Management and Genworth Financial plan to introduce a guaranteed income for life option for 401(k) participants.

Bank of New York Mellon announced Tuesday that it had completed its purchase of Arx Capital Management, a Rio de Janeiro independent asset manager. Arx Capital specializes in Brazilian multi-strategy, long-short and long-only investment strategies and has more than $2.8 billion of assets under management. The price of the acquisition, which was announced on Nov. 13, was not disclosed. Arx Capital will be integrated into BNY Mellon Asset Management Brasil. The company said that the combined business will be one of the largest asset assets managers in the country.

The Supreme Court's decision in Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC v. Scientific Atlanta will mean that mutual fund companies, could be better protected from class-action investor suits involving third parties that support the administration and running of a fund's trading floor and back office.

Money market mutual fund assets rose $13.55 billion to $3.189 trillion for the week ending Jan. 16, according to the Investment Company Institute.

Vanguard Takes Top Spot from American Funds

By now, most asset management executives have seen the predictions that large-cap growth will be the way to go in 2008. But digging deeper than mere asset class predictions, MME spoke with two industry leaders to tease out nuances of what fund managers can expect this year.

BOSTON - Fund companies will need to plan ahead to ensure they can meet new regulations on fund disclosure without costly delays to investors and brokers.

BOSTON - Participants at one session of last week's National Investment Company Service Association's east coast regional meeting set their sights on how the managed funds industry is going to market itself to the 80 million Generation Y members.

First there were environmental mutual funds that rewarded do-good companies and those with sustainability sensitivities. Next came alternative energy and climate change funds.

Sincere Joins F-Squared Board

The rapid growth in the exchange-traded fund arena is increasing the complexity of capital gains taxes, writes the Wall Street Journal.