Investment Strategies
Get the latest market outlook, as well as news and analysis on mutual funds, ETFs and alternative investments, all designed to help you construct a well-balanced portfolio for your clients
What's Going On With Money Market Funds?
By Staff WriterMoney market funds--something almost everyone takes for granted--are not supposed to be newsworthy. But during the first two weeks of August. Standard & Poor's put...
August 17, 2007
A Lesson, and Test, in How to Weather Market GyrationsThe subprime loan debacle continues to cause volatility in the markets, leading to the Federal Reserve Board's decision August 17 to improve market liquidity by...
August 17, 2007
House Tells Senate to Raise GSE Loan LimitHouse Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) and Rep. Gary Miller (R-California) urged the U.S. Senate August 17 to raise the conforming loan limit beyond the House passed reform bill for the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSE) of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
August 16, 2007
Moody's Lowers Countrywide Debt RatingTwo days after the largest provider of home mortgages in the U.S., Countrywide Financial, announced that a full 1% of its home loans were in foreclosure, the company got more bad news on August 16 from a ratings agency. Moody's Investors Service downgraded the senior debt ratings of Countrywide Financial...
August 15, 2007
New Vehicles Target Munis and Luxury GoodsWhile August is often thought of as a month of lazy vacations, this year it's seen the the introduction of some unique ETFs. Claymore Securities,...
August 10, 2007
A New Name for Wells REITWells Real Estate Investment Trust, the public, nontraded REIT with about $5 billion in assets across the country (mostly class A office buildings) has changed its name to Piedmont Office Realty Trust Inc.
August 10, 2007
Brighter Times for Turkey?Turkey's stocks are appreciating at a rapid clip. Straddling Europe and Asia, Turkey teeters between Western secular democracy and ancient traditional culture. But this vast nation of 73 million has a modern, robust economy and may one day join the European Union.
August 09, 2007
Managed Accounts With a Biblical SlantThe socially responsible investing movement has been picking up steam in recent years as investors have sought to invest in companies whose values mirror their own. In line with that there are also a number of faith-based mutual funds which attempt to line up investments and religious doctrine. Now BridgePortfolio...