Sign up today and take advantage of member-only content — the kind of timely, cutting edge industry insight that only Money Management Executive can deliver.

• Exclusive Online Only Content
• Free Daily Email News Alerts
• Asset Management Blogs

Alternative Investments

News

Investors Warming Up to MBS

Price may be high, but yields are 150 basis points over Treasuries.

Long-Short Strategies Beat the Market

Long-short strategies are outperforming—or at least underperforming less—than traditional equity plays, according to a white paper by Credit Suisse. The firm points out that year-to-date results for the MSCI World Index in May were down by 9.5%. Over the same period, the Dow Jones Credit Suisse Long/Short Equity Hedge Fund Index was down too, but by a comparatively slight 3.2%. …

BNP Paribas Shakes Up Americas Business

BNP Paribas has pushed to reorganize its corporate and investment banking business in the Americas by making some key staffing swaps within equities, derivatives and structured finance, the firm said yesterday.

Lobbyists Line Up to Push BAB Extension

At least 78 organizations have either hired lobbyists or lobbied on their own for Build America Bonds, in addition to 202 lobbyists beating the pavement Inside the Beltway.

New CEO at the Helm for Rockefeller Financial

Rockefeller Financial has named Reuben Jeffery III chief executive officer. Jeffery will also oversee subsidiaries Rockefeller Wealth Advisors, Rockefeller Asset Management, Rockefeller Capital Partners and Rockit Solutions.

More

Articles

Global REITs Set for Takeoff

CB Richard Ellis Managing Director Steve Carroll foresees five to seven years of commercial real estate boom time. And - New York is the leading indicator.

ETFs Add Exposure to Alternatives

NEW YORK -- Asset managers looking for creative new ways to profit during the global recovery have been launching a wave of exchange-traded products that aim to help portfolio managers and sophisticated investors increase their exposure to alternative investments and small-capital stocks. Last week, Invesco PowerShares, Scottrade and Van Eck Global all launched specialized exchange-traded funds that provide exposure to everything from domestic small-cap companies to Latin American economies.

Derivatives, No Longer 'WMD,' Gaining Respect

They've been derided by Warren Buffett and feared by regulators, but some advisers are convincing clients that derivatives are helpful. Back in 2002, when AIG was still in that ultra-exclusive Triple-A-rated club and its financial strength seemed all but unbreakable, the billionaire signaled an ominous warning in Berkshire Hathaway's annual report: 'Derivatives are financial weapons of mass destruction, carrying dangers that, while now latent, are potentially lethal.'

Schwab's Strike to Fend Off SEC Mortgage-Backed Suit Makes Solid Argument

Charles Schwab filed arguments in federal court in San Francisco to try to preclude the Securities and Exchange Commission from suing it over its YieldPlus fund. Once one of the biggest short-term bond funds in the world, with $13.5 billion at its peak in 2007, YieldPlus lost 35%, before dividends, in 2008 due to high exposure to mortgage-backed securities, which comprised nearly 50% of its portfolio. Today, a mere shell of its former self, it stands at $184 million.

403(b) Group Seeks Common Language

An industry group developing best practices for 403(b) retirement plans is coming closer to streamlining these plans to make them even more similar to 401(k) plans, but first they will have to get everyone to agree to speak the same language. Leaders say the SPARK Institute's work on 403(b) best practices is coming along smoothly, thanks to the cooperative efforts of approximately 50 participating institutions. The latest update, version 1.04, fixes many of these communication issues by requiring a standardized reporting format, which it hopes most institutions will adopt by this July.

More