As the debt-ceiling crisis unnerved markets last summer, target-date funds sank. During the third quarter of 2011, funds with maturity dates of 2016 to 2020 lost 9.6 percent, according to Morningstar. It was an uninspiring showing for the target funds, which are designed to serve as stable choices for 401(k) and other retirement accounts.

Who will follow in the footsteps of high-profile hedge fund managers? Not many of them know.

Wary of another market meltdown, endowments and other hedge fund investors are demanding that managers pay closer attention to cash holdings. Besides buying U.S. Treasury bills and money market funds, hedge funds let cash management firms find safe places for their excess dollars.

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JPMorgan is keeping its view of debt market technicals at positive following a June 18-20 survey of 253 investors managing $451 billionn in EM fixed income and FX assets.

As machines simultaneously aid and threaten human traders, one e-trading product provider, TradingScreen, looks to algorithms as the source of a power shift between the buy-side and the sell-side.

Global foreign exchange volume continues to soar, with a study surveying the buy-side showing corporates are lagging behind banks, fund managers and hedge funds regarding industry volume.

Securitization means that lenders aren’t stuck with bad loans. Investors are.

Interest in brand acquisitions has been heating up as financial and strategic buyers look to tap into established revenue streams and loyal customers, while eliminating competitors and reviving undervalued brands. The hot areas for buyouts should be in consumer products, especially consumer packaged goods, and consumer healthcare products, said Bill Johnson, Eastern division president of The Brand Institute, a consulting firm.

With a blockbuster issue from Washington Mutual and more U.S. borrowers knocking at the door, the European covered bond market is going global.

The U.S. dollar gained in the spot market last week driving players to snap up options on dollar crosses to capture short-term volatility.

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As the FSA's chief hedge fund watchdog, Hector Sants embodies the U.K.'s firm but friendly style of regulation.

UBS plans to double the number of brokers and private bankers in its ultra-high-net-worth office at 299 Park Avenue in New York. The office has 17 brokers and four private bankers.

It has occurred to someone at HBO that a situation comedy centering on a hedge fund manager is a good idea for a TV series.

Once the domain of “death spirals,” the market for private investments in public equities, or Pipes, is going mainstream.

An overlooked type of preferred stock is finding new favor with institutions, thanks to some eye-catching tax-equivalent yields.

Since joining Financial Risk Management more than a year ago, Carrie McCabe has sparked an American revolution at the conservative British fund of hedge funds.

Rising interest rates and a weakened dollar inspire U.S. bond investors to look abroad. But foreign forays are not without risk.

Investors are pouring money into hedge funds that invest in Asia, hoping to capitalize on the region’s economic growth and capital markets expansion.

Despite the tremendous popularity of credit derivatives, corporations remain wary of tapping the market to allay the risk of suppliers’ or customers’ going bankrupt.

This article appears courtesy of DailyII.com Money Management Letter

SEC expands informal investigation.

Jean-Pierre Mustier wants to make Société Générale a global powerhouse--and win the respect of investment banking rivals in London and New York -- by building on the bank's dominant position in equity derivatives.

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor