American Equity Investment Life Insurance has settled a class action for $16.4 million over abusive annuity sales.
The board took action to improve transparency in the municipal bond market during its three-day meeting.
The ex-Stamford, Conn.-based hedge fund managed by Samuel Israel defrauded investors out of $300 million.
The funds employ long-term capital growth strategies by investing primarily in equity securities of U.S. issuers.
The $12.5 billion allocated to hedge funds during the quarter marked the lowest level of new capital since 2005.
Housing starts rose 9.1% to 1,066,000 units in June from May, but down 26.9% from a year ago.
A downgrade by a Wachovia analyst sent American International Group shares tumbling to a 52-week low.
State insurance regulators are displeased with the Securities and Exchange Commission and state securities regulators about a proposal that would regulate equity index annuities as securities rather than as insurance products, and one state insurance regulator is meeting with SEC Chairman Christopher Cox this week to address those grievances.
The GCC Titans 40 Index measures the performance of 40 stocks traded in five of the Gulf Cooperation Council nations.
The pursuit of investment performance in an increasingly uncertain market is drawing more attention to alternative investment strategies, a situation that could place more pressure on financial advisers to step outside their traditional comfort zones.
They are the ultimate go-anywhere funds — global funds that can invest virtually anywhere, regardless of geography — and they are growing in number.
Insurance agents who work primarily with equity index annuities say the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposal to regulate the products as securities would impose greater costs on their firms and hand over control of their production to broker-dealers.
The Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund was launched May 13, 1991, and has $1 billion in assets under management.
Investors in Sandelman Partners $3.2 billion multistrategy hedge fund have been barred from making withdrawals.
Mutual funds voted in favor of management proposals more than 90% of the time in 2007, an ICI study found.
The new ETF is designed to provide access to certain equity markets in the Middle East and North Africa.
Hedge Fund Research Inc.'s Fund Weighted Composite Index fell 0.68% in June and is down 0.75% this year.
Thirty-five new hedge funds with a total of $19.5 billion in assets were launched in the Americas during the first six months of this year.
The ratings have been raised to “buy,” from “hold,” and the target price has been upped to $33 per share, from $30.
Investors, brokers and analysts believe the current bond-rating system should be reformed.
