Investing May 7, 2012

ETF Assets Decrease $5B in April

May 7, 2012 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Exchange-traded fund (ETF) assets decreased by $5.3 billion (0.4%) in April 2012.
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According to State Street Global Advisors’ ETF Snapshot report, 1,246 ETFS with $1.2 trillion in assets were managed by 36 ETF managers as of April 30, 2012.  

Investors added $2.9 billion to ETFs, as fixed income ETFs attracted $4.9 billion – increasing YTD inflows to $20.5 billion.  After seeing $5.9 billion in inflows last month, large cap ETFs experienced $4.5 billion in outflows in April.  

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The top three managers in the U.S. ETF marketplace were BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard. Collectively, they account for approximately 83% of the U.S.-listed ETF market.  

The top three ETFs in terms of dollar volume for the month were the SPDR S&P 500 [SPY], iShares Russell 2000 [IWM] and PowerShares QQQ [QQQ].
Compliance May 7, 2012

DOL Issues Additional Guidance for Participant Fee Disclosures

May 7, 2012 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued frequently asked questions about the requirements of new participant fee disclosure rules.  
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Field Assistance Bulletin 2012-02 answers questions about what types of plans are covered under the regulation, including tax-sheltered annuity programs under Section 403(b). It also addresses methods of disclosing plan-related information and how to deal with revenue sharing.   

“This guidance will help both plan administrators and covered service providers comply with their obligations under the department’s new fee-transparency rules, so that workers who make their own investment decisions in retirement plans will have the information they need to make informed investment choices,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for EBSA Phyllis C. Borzi. “We also are working on a second set of frequently asked questions and answers focused more narrowly on the new rules for disclosure by covered service providers.”

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To view Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2012-02, visit http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/regs/fab2012-2.html.    

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