Wells Fargo & Co.'s head of brokerage operations said banks may reduce the number of investment products offered to customers if regulators impose a fiduciary standard on brokers.
The combined market value of U.S. exchange-traded funds surpassed $1 trillion for the first time in 2010, while ETFs investing in emerging markets and bonds receiving the most new money, Birinyi Associates Inc. said.
The trustee liquidating Bernard L. Madoff's investment firm has filed more than $50 billion in so- called clawback suits to compensate victims of the con man's fraud since his 2008 arrest for masterminding the biggest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history.
NASAA president David Massey sits down with <i>InvestmentNews</i> reporter Liz Skinner and discusses the potential impact of Finra regulation over investment advisers, and also how state regulators will deploy "more intelligent regulation" as they take on the oversight of all investment advisers under $100 million. <a href=http://assets.investmentnews.com/Bruno/massey_final.mp3>(Click here to listen.)</a>
Pacific Investment Management Co.'s Bill Gross said that while he anticipates the end of the bull market in bonds, it's not the beginning of a significant bear market as economic growth and government stimulus measures fail to translate into broader employment gains.
Barton Biggs, who recommended buying U.S. stocks when the Standard & Poor's 500 Index started rallying in 2009, said riots in Egypt are no reason to sell.
Branding trumps performance in the fund world, according to the results of the latest <i>InvestmentNews</i> broker-dealer survey. Advisers prefer American Funds, despite spotty performance, while Vanguard emerges strong. <a href=http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20110123/REG/301239996&issuedate=20110121&sid=BD0121) More on the mutual fund results here,</a> and more on the <a href=http://www.investmentnews.com/section/specialreporttemplate?sid=BD0121&issuedate=20110121>B-D special report here.</a>
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's top executive said federal regulators are “very likely” to force U.S. brokers to meet stricter requirements for acting in the best interests of their clients.
The ranks of independent broker-dealers grew 4.7 percent in 2010 and in an industry dependent on high-touch financial advice, bigger means better in terms of bringing in new business.
