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

Mutual Funds

Muni Managers Stand Pat Ahead of Fed Funds Rise

August 2, 2010 - Managers look to position their portfolios for a low-rate environment.

Grail Makes Big Bet onActively Managed ETFs

February 8, 2010 - Grail Makes Big Bet onActively Managed ETFs

BNY Mellon Aims to CurbCosts, Expand Wealth Unit

January 25, 2010 - BNY Mellon Aims to CurbCosts, Expand Wealth Unit

Week In Review

June 7, 2010 - IRS Probes 401(k) Compliance, SEC Proposes Consolidated Audit Trail for SROs, SEC Warns of Stock Scams Related to Gulf Oil Spill, Funds Bleed $16.6 Billion, Banks Have High Hopes for Simpler Annuities, MFS CIO Swanson Says Global Recovery Has Legs, and BoA Enhances Retirement Platform for Small Biz.

JPMorgan Beefs Up Bond Fund Business

June 7, 2010 - JPMorgan, consistently one of the top municipal bond underwriters, has been responding to increased appetite in the market recently by expanding its retail networks, marketing taxable munis for international distribution, and bulking up its public finance staff. The firm has ranked third among muni underwriters in the country over the past five years. From January through May, JPMorgan senior-managed 158 issues worth $20.8 billion, ranking it third with a 12.3% market share, compared with an 11.4% share last year, according to Thomson Reuters.

Alternative Mutual Funds Growing Less Exotic

June 7, 2010 - An 'empowered investor base' insisting on more transparency and liquidity from managers, as well as absolute returns and uncorrelated investment strategies, has led to a spike in demand for alternative mutual funds, a report concluded. American and European investors funneled more than $110 billion into the alternative strategies in 2009, according to SEI, which issued the report with Strategic Insight.

Week In Review

May 31, 2010 - ICI: Senate Bill Still Needs Work, New IRS Rules Expand 401(k) Brokerage Window, FINRA Fines Piper $700K For E-Mail Storage Failure, Bill Miller Gets Co-Pilot on Legg Mason Value Trust, and Wealthy Investors More Pessimistic than Economists.

As Fundamentals Shift, Rankings Can Change

May 31, 2010 - The volatility in the S&P 500 Index over the past few weeks serves as a reminder of the importance of reviewing portfolio holdings on a regular basis because, as we have just seen, the fundamentals are fluid. Closely monitoring equity holdings is key to ensuring a portfolio continues to meet an investor's goals and tolerance for risk. Likewise, mutual funds, too, warrant ongoing analysis to see if their favorable characteristics are still intact following periods of volatility and in the face of shifting market conditions.

Money Management Executive's 2010 Operations Awards Presented at NICSA GMM at the Boston Harvard Club

May 31, 2010 - BOSTON -- Money Management Executive Publisher Michael Stanton presented the 2010 Fund Operations Awards on May 20 at NICSA's General Membership Meeting at the Downtown Harvard Club here.

Week in Review

May 24, 2010 - Waddell Mutual Fund Among First Flash Crash Trades, Putnam Reveals DC Fees, Fidelity Survey Finds B/D and RIA Re-Focus on Growth, Sun Life Launches Canadian Fund Family, Ohio Ends 529 Contract With Putnam, Fidelity Launches Corporate Bond Fund, State Street and Nuveen Offer Build America Bond ETF, and HSBC Says Its Time for Wealthy To Re-Jigger Allocations.

Week In Review

May 17, 2010 - FINRA Eyes Action Against Firms Selling Municipal Bonds, Roth IRA Conversions Surge, Keep Derivatives: McNabb, T. Rowe Price in Push for Advisers and Overseas Market, NY A.G. Cuomo Sues Ivy For Lying About Madoff, Investors Keeping Tabs on Employment and Interest Rates, and ETF Assets Rise 2.9%.

Week In Review

May 10, 2010 - SPARK Institute Says Competition Critical for Lifetime Income, More Employers Let Workers Max Out 401(k)s, Rebound Predicted for Asset Management M&A, IRAs Outpacing 401(k)s Among Wealthy, 'Wall Street North' Lags in Financial Rebound, U.S. Trust Campaign Touts the Worth Behind the Wealth, and Dividends Resonating Even Among Savvy Investors.

Asset Managers Return to Core Strengths

May 10, 2010 - WASHINGTON -- Despite the enormous weight of proposed regulations bearing down on the financial services industry, mutual funds are taking the issue in stride, focusing on their core strengths of transparency, diversity and customer service. "History has shown that events of this magnitude have a significant impact on investors, on markets and on policymakers," said Mark Fetting, chairman and CEO of Legg Mason Inc. and chairman of the Investment Company Institute's General Membership Meeting, held here last week. "Investors increasingly are not just looking for access to asset classes; they want solutions to problems."

Week in Review

May 3, 2010 - Treasury Offers Interim Tax-Credit Bond Guidance, IRI Gives Treasury, Labor RFI on Lifetime Income, FINRA CEO Urges Firms To Be More Responsible, 70% Say They Doubt They'll Retire, and Krawcheck Says Retirement Must Be Redefined.

Why REITs Could Lead Mortgage-Backed Comeback

May 3, 2010 - As the private-label mortgage bond market comes back to life, real estate investment trusts may play the lucrative central role that belonged to banks and Wall Street firms during securitization's pre-crisis heyday. Consider the watershed deal late last month from Redwood Trust. Citigroup was everywhere to be found on the assembly line-except the middle. At one end, Citi's mortgage unit originated the $238 million of loans and services them. At the other, Citi's investment bank underwrote the bonds. But Redwood, a Mill Valley, Calif., REIT, put its balance sheet on the line.