Today we’re going to talk about the boom in hedge fund-like mutual funds and the difference between brokers and advisors. I once looked at a “liquid alternative fund” from Natixis – liquid alts are products that purport to offer hedge fund strategies in a ’40 Act mutual fund wrapper – and I couldn’t understand a…

Sad news, poet Maya Angelou passed this morning at age 86. Her very best in my opinion, Still I Rise, is below… *** You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why…

SunTrust’s Bob Peck attended the first Recode Conference yesterday and jotted down a few quick takeaways after hearing from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sergei Brin. I assume we’ll hear much more in-depth stuff from Peck, he’s one of the most insightful analysts covering Silicon Valley in the biz. For now, his observations…

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361 Capital portfolio manager, Blaine Rollins, CFA, previously manager of the Janus Fund, writes a weekly update looking back on major moves, macro-trends and economic data points. The 361 Capital Weekly Research Briefing summarizes the latest market news along with some interesting facts and a touch of humor. 361 Capital is a provider of alternative…

Interesting factoid from the Wall Street Journal: The broad S&P is up only 2.8% since the year began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite Index are even flatter for 2014, with the Dow up a tiny 0.18% and the Nasdaq up 0.22%. It is rare for all three indexes to be up or…

Technical analyst Ari Wald, CFA, CMT, of Oppenheimer Asset Management looks at one breadth measure that is not disappointing, even as the new 52-week high count on the NYSE is. Wald’s chart and explanation below of the NYSE Advance-Decline Volume Line adds a critical dimension to the discussion about a seasonal / cyclical market top: Trading…