WrapManager's Wealth Management Blog

Louis Navellier of Navellier & Associates go over why he thinks a stock market correction is coming soon. "The stock market continues to benefit from a tidal wave of buying pressure, as new money keeps flowing into stocks. The S&P 500 and Dow rest at their highest levels since before the 2008 financial crisis, while NASDAQ is trading at an 11-year high. This surge was thought to be impossible last October, when fears of a double-dip recession were dominant. Back then, we called for a strong market recovery. Now, I may be going against the grain again - calling for a short-term correction due to rising oil prices." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Navellier & Associates, Inc. [+] Read More

Roosevelt Investments' February market commentary looks at the improvements in the US economy and how many investors have missed the current rally in the market. "It has now been eighteen straight weeks that the U.S. economy has been on an improving trajectory as indicated by macroeconomic data, including ISM surveys, durable goods orders, regional Fed surveys, and consumer sentiment. Given that consumer spending is a disproportionate driver of our economy, labor statistics are also of critical importance. On this front, unemployment claims have been steadily declining, as layoffs have fallen with improved activity and better sentiment by employers. New claims are now at the lowest level since April 2008, and the unemployment rate has fallen to 8.3%." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Roosevelt Investment Group [+] Read More

Chief Equity Strategist at BlackRock Bob Doll reviews the improving economic backdrop of the US and around the globe. President Obama's proposed dividend income tax increase is also discussed. "The general economic trend in the United States over the past couple of months has been that positive surprises have outweighed negative ones and the overall tone of the data shows that economic improvements are continuing. The labor market in particular has been accelerating, with jobless claims on a noticeable downward trend. Even the housing market, which has long been a source of weakness, has begun to show some signs of life." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Blackrock Inc [+] Read More

Money manager Roosevelt Investments has hired Mesirow Financial's international equity team in an effort to expand Roosevelt's product offering. The deal, expected to close Tuesday January 31, 2012, would bring over the seven-person Mesirow team lead by Leila Heckman, Ph.D. and includes John Mullin, Ph.D., and Vijay Chopra, Ph.D. Together, the team manages $300 million in four international and global equity strategies based on proprietary quantitative research processes. Learn more about Mesirow Financial here. Get Free Research Reports about Roosevelt Investment Group [+] Read More

Chief Investment Officer of equities at Federated Investors, Stephen Auth, examines the sovereign debt situation in Italy and the chances of Italy defaulting. "It's one thing if Greece were to default (though that's looking less likely); it's entirely another if the euro-zone’s third-largest economy struggles to pay up. The worry is that nearly $260 billion of Italy's sovereign debt rolls over this year, with a significant chunk coming due next month. If investor appetite for Italian debt doesn't hold up, Italian bond yields may spike, Spain may follow and the risk-off trade is back on with a vengeance. We think this sort of thinking is misguided." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Federated Investors Inc [+] Read More

Chief Equity Strategist for BlackRock Bob Doll reviews their asset allocation outlook for 2012. Their equity, fixed income and municipal fixed income outlooks for 2012 are also discussed. "Conditions have improved compared to last quarter, with the US economy showing signs of acceleration and European policymakers moving further along the path of progress. With the bearish tone receding, investors should consider moving into "risk" assets and out of "safe" assets, especially on pullbacks." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Blackrock Inc [+] Read More

A recent compliance alert from ACA Compliance Group describes the SEC's initiative to combat fraud in hedge funds, known as the Aberrational Performance Inquiry. The program "aims to identify "abnormal" fund performance, that is, fund performance that is inconsistent with fund strategies and/or benchmarks." In an attempt to "thwart various illegal practices," the SEC "will pay particular attention to returns consistently greater than three percent of their respective market index." Source: ACA Compliance Group Download Full Commmentary Here [+] Read More

RIABiz, an online publication geared towards financial advisors, recently reported on money manager Windhaven Investment Management's year to date performance and asset growth. "Since Charles Schwab & Co. acquired it a year ago, the Boston-based money manager's assets have surged 77% - to $8 billion from $4.5 billion." Windhaven's "three portfolios underperformed their benchmarks for the 12-month period ended October 31, but the company is raking in assets despite the relatively low returns." WrapManager has repeatedly advised against chasing recent past performance. Investors are often attracted to the latest 'hot' manager and the associated recent returns. Click here to download our report about the dangers of chasing past performance. We illustrate these dangers using Churchill Management Group’s performance as an example. "Windhaven's portfolios," as the article continues, "comprising primarily exchange-traded funds, are built to help investors weather bad markets by lessening their risk while often not generating quite as much return in an up market." "The three strategies are performing as expected, over the long term - which is what they are designed to do," says Bryan Olson, president of Windhaven. "While the long-term growth is strong, Olson concedes that these funds typically do better in a down market but won't perform as well in an up-tick." This can be seen during the market turmoil of 2008. To learn more about Windhaven, their strategies, and Windhaven's performance, simply click here and request the information you would like. Source: RIABiz Get Free Research Reports about Windhaven Investment Management [+] Read More

Money manager ClearBridge advisors notified clients on December 1st, 2011 of CEO Peter Sundman's departure. Part of the reason behind the departure is cost, although other details were not available. Any material impact on the investment teams at ClearBridge seems unlikely as the investment teams and Chief Investment Officer remain in place. The position will not be filled with a replacement and instead the CEO responsibilities will be consolidated with those of ClearBridge President Terrence Murphy. Murphy served as the Chief Operating Officer at ClearBridge since 2006 and was promoted to President in 2011. Prior to his work at ClearBridge, he was part of the Citigroup Asset Management team holding positions as director of planning and analysis and chief financial officer. Source: Morningstar Advisors [+] Read More