Financials have not yet reclaimed the crown, but they are making a comeback, as measured by their weighting in the S&P 500. While technology is still the biggest sector, accounting for 18.4 percent of the S&P 500 index, the financial sector has...
Last year changed the landscape for hedge funds and other alternatives.
Here's a story you can tell to clients who are fed up with the market. There's a frantic search under way in Israel for a mattress that's worth $1 million. According to the AP, a woman in Tel Aviv bought her mom a new mattress, taking the old one...
The Department of Labor and the SEC are holding a joint hearing today in Washington to explore “issues” related to target date/lifecycle funds. Many of these funds actually underperformed the S&P 500 last year. You can watch the...
Among the many economic stimulus provisions in the American Reinvestment and Renewal Act of 2009 is a short-term program to expand financing alternatives for state and local governments. The legislation creates a new category of taxable municipal...
Financial advisors say all types of financial service firms lack trustworthiness
In recent years, plenty of investors poured into emerging market stock funds. The new shareholders hoped to profit from the boom in developing countries, such as China and Brazil. But their high hopes were dashed by the credit crisis. During the...
It is tempting to declare the recent rally in financial shares, and the market in general, the real deal. After all, some formerly bearish (and respected) analysts believe the upswing indicates a real turn in the markets, or, at least, is likely...
At the Investment Company Institute’s 51st General Membership meeting last week in Washington, D.C., speaker after speaker warned that the financial crisis has changed markets permanently.
