An alternative: Small international stocks

Investment allocation theory teaches that a portfolio’s return and risk can be improved by adding more investments with low correlation to other portfolio investments. Investors who have suffered through the risks offered by the U.S. stock market in recent years apparently agree: There has been a large increase in interest in “alternative” investments, such as hedge funds, venture capital and […]

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Inconsistent funds: Mutuals change their stripes

Investors who think they know what they are getting when they buy actively managed mutual funds had better look beyond each fund’s name, a new study indicates. Many stock funds use the terms “value” and “growth”in their names, indicating their particular investment leanings. However, over the last five years as the bear market changed the investment landscape, the differences between […]

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