investors will likely continue to yank assets from mutual funds, more funds will close, and fund launches will come to a crawl this year, according to analysts.
"It's going to be a tough year for advisers. They will experience real pressure in profitability and in attracting clients, but I think we will see that the strong firms will emerge even stronger, while some of the weaker firms will merge."
Although political sentiment is warming to environmentally sensitive policies, the green movement may not be ready for a boom in investing in 2009.
The economy will continue to weaken, but the financial markets will look at the steps taken by the federal government and react in a positive fashion, Mr. Vahanian said.
Financial advisers and industry veterans are worried that investors might reduce or halt their contributions to 401(k) plans if the economy worsens this year.
As the art world's next major round of auctions begins this month, buyers and sellers will encounter a market as depressed as that for stocks and real estate.
Employees who were recently laid off won't find a lot of advice from mutual fund companies about what they should do with their cash.
Mutual fund liquidations could reach record levels in 2009 as assets decline and fund management companies trim overhead.
For many advisory practices, the technology focus will be making do with smaller budgets — and doing more with existing technology.
Even in the best economic environment, you are not likely to see the <b>Aim Charter Fund </b>(CHTRX) hitting the top of most performance charts.
