Industry News

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NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS OCT 01, 2009
Pimco's Bill Gross: The 'new normal' may be to avoid most bonds

In the "new normal" of slower economic growth and lower investment returns, Pacific Investment Management Co. LLC's Bill Gross is himself buying steady, dividend-paying stocks.

By Bloomberg
NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS OCT 01, 2009
US consumer spending surges in August

U.S. consumer spending, propelled by a temporary government incentives program for auto sales, shot up in August by the largest amount in nearly eight years even though personal incomes continued to lag.

By Bloomberg
NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS OCT 01, 2009
New jobless claims rise more than expected to 551K

First-time claims for jobless benefits increased more than expected last week, a sign employers are reluctant to hire and the job market remains weak.

By Bloomberg
NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS OCT 01, 2009
Economy sends numerous signals of rebound

Consumer spending, the bulwark of economic growth, is showing signs of life as the economy transitions from recession to recovery.

By Bloomberg
NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS SEP 30, 2009
Even investors who avoided losses in downturn fear for their futures

Investors who lost a chunk of their retirement savings in the market downturn last year are obviously concerned about their futures — but so are investors who escaped the downturn unscathed, according to a report released yesterday by Financial Research Corp.

By Sue Asci
NEWS RIAS SEP 30, 2009
Fidelity hires ex-Schwab exec for RIA business

Fidelity Investments has hired David Canter, a lawyer who spent more than eight years at competitor Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., for a newly created position as chief operating officer of its investor wealth services unit.

By Jed Horowitz
NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS SEP 29, 2009
Finra panel rules against $900M team terminated by Merrill

In what looks like the end of a long-simmering dispute, Finra orders two members of a team terminated by Merrill Lynch to pay the brokerage $3.5 million

By Dan Jamieson
NEWS RIAS SEP 29, 2009
$900M Merrill Lynch team strikes out on its own

A prominent wirehouse rep and his Hawaii-based team &#8212; <a href= http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090929/FREE/909299980&amp;ht=choy>who rather suddenly left</a> Merrill Lynch &amp; Co. Inc. in September &#8212; have formed a new advisory firm.

By Bloomberg
NEWS LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES SEP 29, 2009
Elderly investors in Florida awarded $1.2M after being sold “inappropriate” annuities

Four senior citizens in Florida who were scammed into purchasing &#8220;inappropriate&#8221; equity indexed deferred annuities have had a combined $1.2 million returned to them by the state's chief financial officer, Alex Sink, according a statement from Florida's Department of Financial Services.

By Darla Mercado
NEWS RETIREMENT PLANNING SEP 29, 2009
Virtual adviser to the mass affluent gets a little more sophisticated

Back in May, we introduced you to <a href="//www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090501/REG/905019982&amp;ht=SimpliFi&quot;" target="&#8221;_blank&#8221;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sophie</a>, SimpliFi's free virtual financial planner. Well, Sophie's grown up since then. As of today, she's gotten a lot more sophisticated, at least for the customers of financial institutions such as credit unions and banks that provide SimpliFi LLC's Planning Service Plus to their customers.

By Davis Janowski
NEWS RETIREMENT PLANNING SEP 29, 2009
Advisers leaving clients in the dark about Roth conversions, poll shows

The majority of investors who work with advisers are not aware that income limits associated with the conversion of a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA will be lifted in January, according to a survey conducted by Fidelity Investments.

By Bloomberg
NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS SEP 28, 2009
FSI urges broker-dealers to fight Finra over 'unjustified' fee increases

Broker-dealers and registered reps should not bear the burden of increased fees from Finra after the regulator's &#8220;failure to properly prepare for the inevitable market downturn,&#8221; according to a notice sent to broker-dealers last week from the Financial Services Institute.

By Bruce Kelly
NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS SEP 28, 2009
Why energy is the way to play

Energy continues to be the theme for Jerry Jordan, manager of the $110 million Jordan Opportunity Fund <a href=http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?q=jordx&amp;INDA=1&amp;crit=&amp;SearchCategory=CHART%3BREG%3BFREE%3BSUB&amp;SearchProfile=1119&amp;symbol=&amp;targetURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.investmentnews.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Fsection%3Fcategory%3Dstocklookup&amp;category=ETFLOOKUP&amp;searchType=etf>(JORDX)</a>.

By Jeff Benjamin
NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS SEP 28, 2009
Ready to limbo: Markets look for direction this week

Investors are just not sure where the economy is headed. And so the stock market may be in limbo for a while.

By Associated Press
NEWS RIAS SEP 27, 2009
Tax deferral benefits take center stage for VAs

The insurance industry predicts a new boom in variable annuities as tax deferral takes the spotlight in the near future, but financial advisers and broker-dealers aren't convinced that this will help products fly off the shelves again.

By Darla Mercado
NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS SEP 27, 2009
Top B-D exec at ING Advisors Network exits amid talk firms will be sold

Another key executive with the ING Advisors Network Inc. has stepped down, as the network's parent, ING Groep NV, continues an evaluation of the broker-dealers that could lead to their sale.

By Bruce Kelly
NEWS RIAS SEP 27, 2009
RIAs' asset management fees at lowest level in a decade, study shows

Registered investment advisers last year reduced their asset management fees to the lowest level in 10 years, according to Rydex/SGI's annual Advisor Benchmarking Study.

By Jed Horowitz
NEWS RIAS SEP 27, 2009
Axa exec replacing Casady as chairman of VA trade group

The Insured Retirement Institute last week chose James A. Shepherdson, executive vice president of Axa Equitable, as the group's chairman.

By Darla Mercado
NEWS LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES SEP 27, 2009
Ratings agencies under fire over residential-mortgage-backed securities

By Darla Mercado
NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS SEP 27, 2009
Fidelity expands clearing business into Canada

Fidelity Investments said this morning it is expanding its clearing business into Canada, with the intention of serving U.S. broker-dealers looking for a toehold in the market, while also targeting Canadian broker-dealers.

By Bruce Kelly