The firms will join forces to offer international cash- and fixed-income exchange traded fund products.
Fears that stock-market panic may spread to the bond market led to a meeting between regulators and several large insurers of debt.
Speaking at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Bob Greifeld urged Congress to speedily pass a stimulus package.
Treasury bill, note and bond issuance is expected to climb to $125 billion during the first quarter of this year.
For all of 2007, the median sales price of an existing single-family home fell 1.8%.
First-time jobless claims fell by 1,000 to 301,000, the lowest level since early September.
The tentative deal involving $150 billion worth of tax rebates would provide $300 to $1,200 per household.
William Galvin has requested a list of Massachusetts public-issuer bonds insured by the companies since January 2006.
Franklin Resources reported a 21% increase in profits while Janus Capital Group experienced a 29% drop in earnings.
Piper Jaffray's earnings fell 27% with net income falling to $15.1 million while Jefferies reported a loss of $24.2 million.
