Trends and analysis of non-correlated asset strategies, such as commodities (from metals to “soft,” such as wheat), real estate (REITs, public and private), currencies, private equity, hedge funds and hedge funds of funds. Market neutral and absolute return strategies are also addressed, as well as stamps, coins and art.
Jan 31, 2012
By John Byrne
If you don’t know Mark Matson, CEO of Matson Money, a Cincinnati-based investment advisory firm with some $3 billion in AUM, it’s not his fault....
Dec 30, 2011
By Diana Britton
Year to date through November 2011, retail investors have redeemed $61.6 billion from large-cap equity mutual funds, $11.2 billion from mid-cap growth funds, $13.4 billion from world stock funds, and $15.7 billion from municipal bond funds, according to Morningstar data. ...
Nov 16, 2011
By Diana Britton
Over the last year or so, advisors have been struggling to get their clients out of cash, but how much cash are your clients really holding? Investors say they’re holding 27 percent of their investable assets in cash, according to an MFS Investment Management survey of 929 investors. Generation Y investors lead the pack, allocating 33 percent to cash, up from 30 percent in February. ...
Nov 15, 2011
By David Trainer
As one financial scandal follows another, it seems the good guys are having a tougher time catching the bad guys. Recent revelations about MF Global’s bankruptcy are reminders of how our regulatory and oversight systems seem to let whales pass through their nets...
Nov 11, 2011
By David Trainer
Two of the three stocks added to our large/mid cap Most Dangerous stocks list for November are from the energy sector. Those stocks are Energy XXI (Bermuda) Ltd. (EXXI) and Superior Energy Services (SPN) – both get my very dangerous rating as do all of the Most Dangerous stocks. Notably, Dynergy (DYN) also had my very dangerous rating when it announced bankruptcy might be in its future in late June of this year....
Nov 9, 2011
By Diana Britton
With the chances of a recession increasing, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has dialed back on risk assets in its portfolio, underweighting global equities, commodities and REITs, and boosting allocations to safe havens, such as cash, bonds and managed futures, the firm said during a press briefing Wednesday morning. ...
Nov 1, 2011
By Jerry Gleeson
Oct 12, 2011
By Diana Britton
In the current low interest rate environment, one that’s expected to last a while, yield is hard to come by. The yield on the 10-year Treasury is under 2 percent, while the yield on the five-year Treasury is under 1 percent. Meanwhile, the ebbs and flows of the stock market are causing retail investors to flee equities and domestic equity mutual funds. ...
Sep 30, 2011
By Diana Britton
When selecting hedge funds for your clients, don’t look for home runs, said Mark Willoughby, principle and wealth manager of Modera Wealth Management, during an fi360 webinar this week. Hedge funds and other alternative strategies can provide a reasonable rate of return and lower or negative correlations to stocks and bonds, but they can also carry greater risk. ...
Sep 2, 2011
By Diana Britton
For months and even years, analysts have debated and speculated on whether gold is in a bubble and whether that bubble could be close to bursting. It’s also been written about time and again in the pages of Registered Rep. But the whipsaw we’ve been seeing between the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) just goes to show what volatile times we are in....
Aug 22, 2011
By Diana Britton
Independent broker/dealer First Allied Securities is spinning off from its parent Advanced Equities to focus more on its core business—helping its 1,000 advisors grow their practices. ...
Aug 17, 2011
By Brad Zigler
Tom Paine should have been a financial advisor. Attempting to bolster the spirits of Continentals after a retreat from a superior British force in the winter of 1776, Paine wrote, “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.”...
Aug 1, 2011
By Brad Zigler
Can a new oil ETP tame contango, the roadblock to commodity futures profits?...
Jul 25, 2011
By Diana Britton
Many IBDs have been going under due to large liabilities they face related to alternative investments that have gone bust, including Medical Capital, Provident and DBSI. Meadowbrook is the latest to join the list of imploding firms. Other IBDs, such as Securities America, are being sold off, providing an opportunity for larger firms looking to acquire. ...
Jul 1, 2011
By Brad Zigler
Alternative strategies are growing in popularity. But the variance in returns is treacherous...
