Economy & Markets
The important economic and stock market news that advisors need to know.
Merrill Boosting Edge FSA Force
By Janet LevauxBofA-Merrill added 27 Merrill Edge financial solutions advisors in Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; and Nashville and other nearby cities to its mass-affluent platform in late October. The bank says it is on track to nearly double the number of FSAs in branches and call centers to more than 1,000 by the...
November 23, 2011
ICI Forms Global Group; Releases Retirement StudyThe Investment Company Institutes Board of Governors recently determined that the organization should significantly broaden its international engagement and launched ICI Global to fulfill that role. The board also established a new class of institute members, consisting of regulated funds publicly offered to investors in leading jurisdictions worldwide.
November 23, 2011
Bond Investors Seek More TransparencyMany U.S. retail bond investors would like more information about how individual bonds are priced and the way that theyre sold, according to a recent report released by Charles Schwab. The study found that 73 percent of bond investors surveyed want pricing details, 44 percent cant figure out how...
November 23, 2011
A Rational Look at a Much Maligned ProductFew products within the financial services industry have received as much consistent criticism as fixed index annuities. An FIA is a type of deferred fixed annuity that earns interest or provides benefits that are linked to an external reference or index, most commonly the S&P 500. The insurer underwriting the...
November 23, 2011
Disclosure UpheavalIn 2012 two new fee disclosure regulations will take effect for 401(k) and similar retirement plans. These new regulations were issued and will be enforced by the Department of Labor (DoL) and the IRS.
November 23, 2011
Dividend TroubleIn the third quarter, an unusual situation arose in U.S. financial markets: dividend yield on stocks surpassed the interest rate on the 10-year Treasury bond. While some technical analysts saw this as a strong buy signal, and the market did subsequently rally, the real explanation is probably far less favorable...
November 23, 2011
Blair, Gross, Other Experts Weigh in on Euro Tumult and Anti-Wall Street ProtestsFormer British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the resolution of todays global economic and financial challenges could get derailed by short-term political thinking, though he remains optimistic that leaders can address long-term issues. Blair spoke Nov. 2 to about 2,100 financial advisors and about 2,000 other guests as the keynote...
November 23, 2011
Bond Vigilantes Claim New Victim as German Bund Sale Fails: News AnalysisIn an ominous sign of the malignancy of Europes financial contagion, Germany held a bond auction Wednesday to which few buyers showed up.