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• Worldwide Mutual Fund Assets Decline 5.1% to $24.81 Trillion

  Assets in mutual funds worldwide declined 5.1% to $24.81 trillion by the end of the first quarter.

• SEC to Distribute Funds to Putnam, Janus Investors

  The SEC said it would distribute millions of dollars to investors harmed by market-timing trading violations in mutual funds managed by Putnam Investment Management and Janus Capital Management.

• Vanguard Reopens Two Funds, Signaling Weak Market

  In spite of their strong records, two Vanguard funds that have been suffering steep redemptions will now be reopened to investors.

• Threadneedle Launches Two Global Mutual Funds

  The funds are available through Threadneedle and RiverSource Investments, both of which are wholly owned subsidiaries of Ameriprise Financial.

• Vanguard International Fund Begins to Invest Directly in Stocks

  Vanguard is now permitting its largest international fund, the Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund, to purchase foreign stock directly.

• Fidelity Buying Up China Shares

  Fidelity Investments is returning to China's stock markets hoping to find values and that inflation has reached an apex.

• Morningstar Taps Global RE, Currency, for New Coverage

  The company announced it has added two new categories and one broad asset class to its proprietary classification system for mutual fund portfolios.

• New Fund Directive Gets EU's 'Irish' Up

  The fourth stage of the pending UCITS directives has been temporarily tabled following outcries from Ireland and Luxembourg.

• Argentina Cuts Tax Breaks for Mutual Funds

  Despite market opposition, Argentina recently cut tax breaks for mutual funds and financial trusts, satisfying the center-left government promise to raise taxes on financial earnings.

• Market Opportunities Still Exist

  The low-hanging fruit is gone, but there are still places to find profit if investors know where to look and avoid the herds.

• Dollar Gains Don't Devalue Foreign Investments

  Even though the dollar appears to be stabilizing, and even gaining against foreign currencies, investors should not abandon the international markets.

• Indian Funds Begin to Plummet

  India's booming fund management industry has started to decline as the Indian stock market has plunged nearly a third so far this year.

• State Street Starts Ten International ETFs

  State Street Global Advisors, the Boston investment management arm of State Street Corp., launched 10 international sector exchange-traded funds.

• French Funds Suffering in 2008

  After a sharp fall in the market, assets under management (AUM) within the French mutual fund industry fell 6% last month.

• Chinese Fund Investors Blame Managers for Steep Losses

  The honeymoon between Chinese mutual fund investors and the surging market appears to be over.

• Where Has All the Alpha Gone?

  The small group of money mangers who possessed the ability to outperform the market has virtually disappeared.

• Mutual Fund Value Hunters Go Hungry

  Firms that focus on value stocks have been slammed recently, as financial stocks like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae continue to struggle.

• Evergreen's CEO on His Multi-Boutique Legacy

  Before Dennis Ferro retires as CEO at Evergreen Investments, he wants to expand its alternative investment capabilities and its international distribution.

• As Mutual Fund Industry Flourished, Templeton Seemingly Vanished

  The late John Templeton created the Templeton Growth Fund back in 1954, but many articles about his passing avoided this subject when they summarized his life.

• Ameriprise Acquires J&W Seligman for $440M

  Ameriprise Financial finalized a $440 million deal to purchase J&W Seligman in the fourth quarter.

• Commodities, Natural Resources Lead 2Q08 Growth

  Threats of further losses throughout financial institutions, concerns of inflation, and record high oil prices continue to persist.

• China Denies Holding Mutual Fund Officials 'Hostage'

  As the Olympic Games approach, China has become continually worried about its public image and financial status.

• Banking's Russell 3,000 Slice Falls to 8-Year Low

  Declining market capitalizations for financial companies in the Russell 3,000 index have pushed the sector's weighting to its lowest level in eight years.

• Vanguard Adds Its 52nd Index Fund

  Vanguard Group has a new international fund, the Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund.

• Boring Is Beautiful

  Mutual Funds had a rough 12 months, making formerly ho-hum asset classes suddenly sexy.

• Golden Globe

  How one advisor crossed continents to bring borderless financial advice to wealthy international clients.

• Stock, Bond Funds Net Nearly $35B in May

  Stock and bond mutual funds garnered $34.6 billion net inflows in May, with global-focused funds raking in the most.

• Lehman Rehires Gelband As Capital Markets Head

  Lehman Brothers has brought back two senior managers, and promoted two other staffers.

• Fidelity Absorbing Capital One Funds

  Capital One Funds' board has approved a transfer of assets from each of its six fund portfolios to comparable funds at Fidelity.

• JPMorgan Redesigns Fund Management Website

  Since the redesign of JPMorgan's Fund Management adviser website, usage of the site has increased, resulting in benefits for both advisers and investors.

• Merrill Buys Chilean Brokerage

  Merrill Lynch & Co. bought Ureta y Bianchi Corredores de Bolsa, a Chilean equity brokerage firm.

• Meet the B-D Powerhouses: Fund Selection Units

  Institutionalized gatekeepers bring fund sales to a new level of sophistication.

• Northern Trust Fund Has Irish Accent

  Northern Trust Global Investments has launched the first U.S.-listed exchange-traded fund that tracks the ISEQ 20 Index, a benchmark for investing in Irish companies.

• $75B in Mutual Fund Inflows for May

  Positive figures were posted for all types of fund products, including money market funds.

• Mutual Funds in Japan Lack Transparency

  Japan's domestic asset management reports are not disclosing the way they vote on various resolutions brought up at annual shareholders meeting