Jobless Claims Queue Keeps Shrinking
August 7, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The line for Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits keeps getting shorter.
Investing
Van Global Hedge Index Sees 1.2% Net July Advance
August 7, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Van Global Hedge Fund Index gained 1.2% net of fees in July based on preliminary data, according to Van Hedge Fund Advisors...
S&P Hedge Fund Index 0.34% Higher In July
August 5, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Standard & Poor's (S&P) Hedge Fund Index rose 0.34% in July on positive returns in the event-driven and arbitrage sub-indices.
Challenger: July Workforce Reduction Heads North in a Hurry
August 5, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - After dropping for two months, the number of July announced job cuts unexpectedly raced ahead.
Master Trust Runs With The Bulls In Q2
August 5, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - After touching the red to start 2003, the Russell/Mellon US Master Trust showed a tremendous rebound in the second quarter, with the median...
Jobless Rate Drops; Employers Still Slashing Positions
August 1, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - While the nation's July jobless rate slid for the first time since May 2002, employers continued to slash their payrolls during the month.
S&P: Junk Bond Downgrades Lower YTD In 2003
August 1, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Year-to-date, the number of corporate debt instruments downgraded to "junk" status is down to 40, compared to 46 at this time in 2002.
MSCI: Asian Issues Lead July World Equities
August 1, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The MSCI All Country World Index Free turned in a 2.08% July return with a particularly strong showing from Asian issues, MSCI said.
Jobless Claims Totals Below 400,000 For 2nd Week
July 31, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The US jobless picture continued to brighten last week as initial jobless claims dipped to the lowest level since February.
Employment Costs Edge 0.9% Higher in Second Quarter
July 31, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Continuing to ride the ever-escalating wave of benefit costs, the Employment Cost Index (ECI) for total compensation rose 0.9% from March 2003 to...
ICI: Mutual Fund Coffers Swell 1.7% In June
July 30, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Continuing a three-month warming trend, the combined assets of the nation's mutual funds increased by $114.4 billion, or 1.7%, in June.
ICI: ETF Assets Expand To $121.57 Billion In June
July 29, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Assets in exchange-traded funds (ETF) rose to $121.57 billion in June from $118.44 billion the previous month.
Lipper Fund Matrix Goes Global
July 29, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Lipper, already well known for its matrix-based classifications for domestic mutual funds, is bringing that same discipline to international and global funds open...
ICC Master Trust Bulls Ahead to 10.9% Second Quarter Advance
July 28, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Buoyed by strong equity returns and fixed income gains, the median master trust in the Independent Consultants Cooperative (ICC) universe - made up...
Jobless Claims Total Lowest Since February
July 24, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The long-suffering US job market finally showed some strength last week as the queue of workers lining up for first-time jobless benefits was...
FRC: Funds Absorb $27 Billion in New Assets In June
July 24, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Stock and bond mutual funds continue to enjoy a forecast of sunny skies in 2003, soaking in $27.4 billion in new assets in...
MSCI Hedge Fund Index Wrings Out Gain In June
July 24, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The MSCI Hedge Fund Composite Index matched earlier reports, posting a 0.50% final return in June.
Mass Layoff Victim Totals Drop in June
July 24, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The number of June mass layoffs was 1,691 covering 157,595 people, according to the latest mass layoffs report from the US Department of...
Thomson: Q1 Shows Private Equity Slipped 18.5% In Past Year
July 23, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Encouraging returns from the broad-based equity markets have not yet rippled into one-year returns among private equity offerings, which slid for the ninth...
Fitch: Bond Defaults Fall 47% in First Half of 2003
July 23, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A ray of sunshine is peaking through the corporate bond default storm clouds of 2002 - the number of debt issuers in default...