Money Market Archives

Exchange-traded funds have been in the news recently. A new survey says financial advisors are shifting client money to ETFs from mutual funds. An ETF provider announced it is dropping its more exotic ETFs. Another has launched an ETF for betting on silver prices. And on and on it goes.... So, should you be looking into ETFs? Read more»

Corporate bonds are on a tear, with the high-yield variety returning more than 28% from Dec. 31 through July 23, according to Lipper, the market-data firm. That’s the kind of gain investors hope to get from stocks in a really, really terrific year. But from bonds? Aren’t they supposed to be boring, conservative and not too generous? Read more»

Sometimes it pays to stick your head under the hood to see what’s really going on. It’s worth looking, for instance, at the “cost basis” your broker or mutual fund company reports for your investments, especially for mutual funds. A misunderstanding about this figure can give you a deeply distorted view of your investment returns. Read more»

Regulators have announced a settlement requiring TD Ameritrade (Stock Quote: AMTD) to pay its customers $456 million to buy back auction-rate securities that had been promoted as a safe source of generous yields but were not. Read more»

Bond funds, not to be confused with bonds, are mutual funds that invest in bonds. They are designed to provide stable income with minimal risk to capital. These are typically grouped together through multiple investors who pool resources to invest in corporate bonds, municipal bonds or junk bonds. Read more»

NEW YORK (AP) — Investors searching for safe havens are loading up on bonds and government debt, hoping to find some relief from the topsy-turvy stock market.Managing a bond portfolio, though, can be just as tricky as navigating the realm of stocks. For a strategy, financial advisers say it pays to build a bond ladder."It is very safe, very conservative," said Roger Bair, a senior adviser with The Financial Consulate in Hunt Valley, Md. Read more»

WASHINGTON (AP) — Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills rose in Monday's auction to the highest levels in three weeks.The Treasury Department auctioned $32 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 0.190 percent, up from 0.180 percent last week. Another $31 billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 0.285 percent, up from 0.270 percent last week. Read more»

BOSTON (AP) — When veteran money managers are finding one of their favorite segments of the market is potentially more lucrative, it's time for average investors to take heed. But they need to keep their eyes open to new complexities — especially when the pros are plowing more money into a market that will likely never be the same after the beating it's taken. Read more»

NEW YORK (AP) — Treasury prices rose Thursday for the first time this week amid concerns over the future of small business lender CIT Group Inc.Demand for the safety of government debt increased as investors worried that CIT could file for bankruptcy protection. The commercial lender said late Wednesday that negotiations with federal regulators about a possible rescue package had fallen through. Read more»