The revelation of accounting errors at Nick Schorsch's flagship REIT, American Realty Capital Properties, could not have come at a worse time. Here's why. <i>(Also: <a href="http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20141030/FREE/141039985/national-planning-holdings-puts-kibosh-on-arc-nontraded-reit-sales" target="_blank">BD puts kibosh on ARC nontraded REIT sales</a>)</i>
SEC official tells alternative mutual funds to define principal strategies for investors.
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin</i>: The bitter economic costs of cheap oil, plus notes on taking advantage of the rising dollar, avoiding bond funds like the plague, and running toward market volatility.
One upside to the stock market carnage of the past week or two is that the wildly popular alternative-strategy mutual funds, better known as liquid alts, have finally been tested on the open road.
Nicholas Schorsch's own broker-dealer joined the wave of B-Ds bailing out of the REIT czar's products.<i>(Also: <a href="http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20141105/FREE/141109966/with-stock-off-sharply-schorschs-rcs-capital-says-were-not-arcp" target="_blank">Schorsch's RCAP to investors: 'We're not ARCP.'</a>)</i>
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin:</i> What will Janet Yellen and the other Fed policy makers say, and how will investors react? Plus: Why focus on the Fed at all? And traps to avoid on the way to success, Facebook earnings, private equity risks and Game 7
The rest of this week's must-read stories include Betterment's robo-adviser for humans, big changes afoot in Social Security, and a focus on picking the right alternatives for clients
Covestor sees investors tinkering around the edges of their allocations, but not much actual fear
Schwab's chief investment strategist is embracing cheap oil, 'onshoring' and select emerging economies
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin:</i>Finance-focused ETFs suffer huge outflows. What gives? Plus: Prudential Financial's spooky reinsurance bet, investing in obesity, private lawyers give corporate inversions a leg up, and location matters less when the house you're selling is haunted.
ALTS will track an index maintained by Morningstar that includes allocations to seven different alternative investment strategies
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin</i>: The Fed tries to inject a sense of calm in the market, Mohamed El-Erian passes on Pimco, all economists get it wrong, a global currency war is unfolding before our eyes, and more.
Deal adds $1.5 billion in AUM to N.Y. Life, including $950 million in multi-strategy exchange-traded fund.
Value in managed volatility comes from potentially getting equity-like exposure with similar returns, lower volatility and better downside performance
It's a matter of diversifying rather than dabbling: Adding a few percentage points 'is not doing anything'.
The rule, proposed originally by Finra, will require per-share valuation of unlisted REITs or direct participation program on customer statements.
Bulls looking for signs that Friday's rally in stocks is the start of something bigger are taking signals from options and S&P 500 Index charts. And it's looking good.
Wild week in financial markets wrapping up with rebound in stocks as bonds decline.
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin:</i> Fresh talk of extending QE is a sign that the markets just want more. Plus, gold shines bright among the carnage, learning to love leverage, and more.
Advisers should look at alts, but fees are too high, he contends.
