Plenty of advisors shun global funds, which own a mix of U.S. and international stocks. The problem is that global portfolio managers can adjust their allocations, holding 40 percent of assets in the U.S. one year and 60 percent the next.
There were an unprecedented 89 mergers or acquisitions involving fund-management firms in the first half of 2006. Buyers spent at least $13.5 billion in disclosed and estimated dollars
Prudential Equity Group, a broker/dealer subsidiary of Prudential Financial, got slammed Monday with one of the biggest settlements seen in a market timing case: $600 million in fines, restitution and penalties.
Class B mutual fund shares are under assault. Dreyfus became the second fund company to stop offering B shares in March; Franklin-Templeton was the first in 2005.
During the 1990s, S&P 500 index funds were all the rage and, for most core investments, the bogey to beat. But lately the index has been offering stingy returns: During the five years ending in April, the S&P 500 averaged just 2.7 percent annually...
