Morningstar Adds 10 Alternative Investment Categories (MM Executive)

Putnam Absolute Return Funds Honored for Innovation (MM Executive)

Finra: Make B-Ds disclose 'shelf space' (Investment News) - Finra wants broker-dealers to disclose the revenue-sharing deals they have with mutual funds

Hartford Financial Seeks Buyers For Mutual-Fund Business (FA Mag) - Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is seeking buyers for its mutual-fund unit, which may fetch $1.5 billion or more, sources say.

FINRA Wants Brokers to Disclose Splits on Mutual Funds (Bank Investment Consultant) - The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has proposed that broker-dealers disclose any revenue-splitting arrangements they have with mutual funds at the time they sell their shares to investors.

FINRA Fines Nuveen Investments $3M For Misleading Brochures (Bank Investment Consultant) 

One in Four Advisers Don't Use ETFs (On Wall Street) - Biggest users are those at traditional wirehouses, with a penetration rate of 94.9%, a survey by Kasina and Horsesmouth finds.

Bill Gross Shows All His Cards (FA Mag) - News that Pimco's legendary Bill Gross is launching an active ETF that will be managed in a style very similar to his mammoth Total Return funds raised more than a few eyebrows. That’s because Gross will now have to post his holdings every day.

18th Annual Mutual Fund Awards (Fund Action)

Chuck Jaffe: Fund manager changes may bring new problems (MarketWatch.com) - Managerial changes happen regularly at mutual funds, but often investors aren’t aware until the news appears in the next published fund report. 

Absolute-return funds absolutely confusing, advisers say (Investment News)

The Puzzle—And Promise—Of 'Absolute Return' Mutual Funds (FA Mag)

Not Just Brokers Must Worry about Dodd-Frank Reform (Securities Industry News) - Fund managers who think that only brokerage firms and banks should worry about the operational and technological changes being wrought by the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation had better think twice.

MFS Launches Global Multi-Asset, Absolute Return Funds (On Wall Street)

Five notable trends in the mutual fund biz (Investment News)

Putnam launches a trio of retirement income funds (Investment News)

MFS, Others Win Top Lipper U.S. Fund Award (FA Mag) - MFS Investment Management took top U.S. Lipper Fund Awards 2011 honors and Delaware Management Company swept in three categories.

The mutual funds advisers research most (Investment News)

Chuck Jaffe: Herd mentality steers investors to large-cap funds (MarketWatch)

PIMCO Launches Broker-Dealer, So Advisors Can Buy Direct (Advisor One)

Hancock's Mutual Funds Reach 'Record Sales Levels' in 2010 (The MutualFundWire.com)

U.S. mutual funds have best week since mid-Oct -ICI (Reuters)

That's Better Now (Barron's Cover Story) - Two straight years of strong returns have made fund investors more comfortable with risk. Don't get too comfortable.

Don’t Dump Your Muni Mutual Funds (Registered Rep)

Pimco Moves Into New Territory, Again (Registered Rep)

Which Fund Firms are Popular in the Indie B-D Channel? (The MutualFundWire.com)

Fund Families Rolling Out Absolute Return Funds (Registered Rep)

Chuck Jaffe: ‘Absolute-return’ funds aren’t for most investors (MarketWatch)

Pimco Takes Over Fund Sales From Allianz After Assets Surge (FA Mag)

Vanguard yanks filings for new muni bond offerings (Investment News)

Are Direct-Sold Funds a Better Value? (Retirement Income Journal)

Nuveen, Prudential prep for new fund launches (Investment News)

Bill Gross: Whitney's wrong about muni bond meltdown (Investment News)

Who is the Most Important Person in the Mutual Fund Industry? (On Wall Street)

Meet the Managers Behind the Top Funds (Yahoo! Finance) 

Advisors Say American Funds is the Most Dedicated to Advisors (The MutualFundWire.com) - kasina and Horsemouth offer another glimpse of how advisors view mutual fund firms.

Bruce Berkowitz Unveils His Third Mutual Fund (The MutualFundWire.com) - The star manager unveiled his new mutual fund today.

Advisers reveal their top fund brand (Investment News)

Chuck Jaffe: Trendy new fund is ‘Stupid Investment of the Week’ (MarketWatch)

Morningstar Picks Top Mutual-Fund Managers Of Year (FA Mag) - Bob Goldfarb and David Poppe of Sequoia Fund, Brent Lynn of Janus Overseas and Michael Hasenstab of Templeton Global Bond were named mutual-fund managers of the year for 2010.

Chuck Jaffe: 7 mutual fund stories to watch for in 2011 (Yahoo! Finance)

PIMCO Total Return Loses Big In November (Advisor One)

Pimco Total Return May Buy Equity-Linked Securities (FA Mag)

Morningstar Recognizes Fund Managers (FA Mag) - Morningstar this week announced five bond fund manager nominees for its fixed-income manager of the year award.

Banking Giant Finds Success in Funds (WSJ.com) - J.P. Morgan Chase is trying to turn strategies from its institutional business into winning portfolios for individuals

American Funds Sees Investors Flee (The Street.com)

ETFs: Menace---or Just Misunderstood? (WSJ.com)

BlackRock beefing up adviser services for ETFs (Investment News)

J.P. Morgan launches share class with no 12(b)-1 fees (Investment News)

The Struggle To Explain Bond ETFs (FA Mag)

Franklin Templeton finally vindicated in market-timing case (Investment News)

Citi Fund Services Adding 300 Jobs in Columbus (Bank Investment Consultant)

Investors Resume Buying Bond Mutual Funds (Bank Investment Consultant) - Nearly $500 million added in week ended Dec. 1, partially reversing the $1.85 billion that walked out the door the previous week.

Meet the Mutual Fund Industry's Most Influential People (The MutualFundWire.com)

Insiders Question Motive for American Funds’ New Bond Funds (MMExecutive)

Putnam Reduces Fees On Funds (FA Mag)

"Active Share,” The Metric That Shows When Active Management Is Worth It (Registered Rep)

J.P. Morgan Funds Brings Investment Podcasts to iTunes (MMExecutive)

Putnam cuts fees on absolute-return and lifecycle funds (Investment News)

Put 12(b)-1 reform on the front burner (Investment News)

12(b)-1 fees are needed and don't bother clients (Investment News)

12b-1 versus 12b-2 (Advisor One)

Fund managers earning more; but in different ways (Investment News)

Insider trading probe could rock mutual fund business (Investment News)

Are Index Funds on Track to Become Even Harder to Beat? (WSJ.com)

Mutual Funds Weekly: An insider-trading scandal, and global turmoil (MarketWatch)

Smart Moves With Target-Date Funds (Forbes)

The Lure Of Mutual Funds That Hedge (Barron's)

PowerShares Preps Momentum ETFs (Fund Action)

Top 'Go-To' Fund Leaders Among Advisors (Advisor One) 

Absolute Return Now Absolutely Popular (WSJ.com)

Advisor Appetite For Absolute Return Eeks Up (Registered Rep)

Buy Mutual Funds Suffering Asset Outflows (Registered Rep)

Industry Adamantly Opposed to Limits on 12b-1 Fees (On Wall Street)

FundWatch: Lower fees coming for several Invesco funds (MarketWatch)

FundWatch: American Funds plans global balanced fund (MarketWatch.com) - One of the largest mutual-fund companies readies for just its third fund launch in the past 10 years.

Rare sighting: American Funds tees up new fund (Investment News)

Can American Funds stop the bleeding? (Investment News)

At Retirement Income Symposium, T. Rowe Price Defends Target-Date Funds (Advisor One)

ETFs: Menace---or Just Misunderstood? (WSJ.com)

Advisor Channels That Most Use ETFs: Cerulli Study (Advisor One)

Mainstay's Sales Rise 43 Percent (The MutualFundWire.com) - The mutual fund arm of New York Life reveals YTD 2010 numbers.

Advisors Praise Fund Firms For Biz Ideas (The MutualFundWire.com) - Three mutual fund companies get top ratings from advisors.

Rule 12B-1: The Battle of the Comment Letters (National Underwriter) - Life insurance agents and financial advisors affiliated with independent broker-dealers have submitted more than 1,000 letters opposing a mutual fund distribution fee proposal.

Advisor Appetite For Absolute Return Growing (Registered Rep) - Over half of advisors surveyed by Putnam Investments said they were at least somewhat likely to recommend absolute return funds to their clients, while assets in absolute return funds have grown 10 percent in the past month alone.

Absolute-Return Funds to Reach 15% Market Share: Putnam (MMExecutive)

12(b)-1 reform fades into the background (Investment News)

Invesco has shot at catching BlackRock, says Don Putnam (Investment News)

More advisers try hand at running mutual funds (Investment News)

ETFs Everywhere (Barron's) - Exchange-traded funds are having a huge impact on the markets. How they can help investors. How they can hurt them.

ICI Calls 12b-2 'Inappropriate' (The MutualFundWire.com)

Sales Numbers Surprise Hancock Execs (The MutualFundWire.com Armie Margaret Lee) - John Hancock Funds executives see full-year sales hitting a record in the neighborhood of $9.3 billion this year.

Side Effects Could Hamper Fund Sales Charge Proposal (MMExecutive) - BlackRock is pressing the Securities and Exchange Commission to take measured steps to ensure that smaller investors do not get shut out of whatever marketplace emerges from the new policies.