Whitebox Advisors Launches Alternative Mutual Funds
Whitebox Advisors, a Minneapolis, Minn.-based investment advisor firm, will offer retail investors access to a hedge fund infrastructure with the launch of two alternative mutual funds-the Whitebox Tactical Opportunities Fund and the Whitebox Enhanced Convertible Fund.

The first fund seeks to provide investors with a combination of capital appreciation and income by purchasing securities when there is potential for high-level return and well-controlled risk. The fund searches for the best investment opportunities at any given time and can invest in a range of securities including equity, fixed income, convertible securities and derivatives.

The Whitebox Enhanced Convertible Fund, meanwhile, is designed to give investors current income and to preserve capital, but it also has the potential for capital appreciation. The fund seeks U.S. convertible securities that have been overlooked by other funds concentrating on this asset class. In that effort, it looks for debt securities and preferred stocks that can be exchanged for common stock. 

"Whitebox is excited to let individual investors capitalize on alternative strategies to which they might not otherwise have access," says Andrew Redleaf, Whitebox Advisors' CEO, who will manage the funds. Redleaf says the idea is to make alternative products with daily liquidity and regulatory oversight more accessible to retail investors.

BofA Enhances Merrill Edge

Bank of America has announced new enhancements to the Merrill Edge self-directed investing platform, including a streaming trading platform called Merrill Edge Market Pro designed to provide clients with real-time market analysis for greater control over every trade. Additional enhancements include a simplified pricing structure, improved access to research and education centers and expanded market and news alerts. For more information  go to www.merrilledge.com. 

Advisor Group Offers CRM to Advisors

Advisor Group, the large national independent broker-dealer, has integrated Salesforce into its VISION2020 Advisor Portal Web site, which gives advisors access to their home office Web sites, client account information and news and alerts. 

"We're confident this new tool will help advisors connect with one another to generate new ideas and grow their business. This is just one of many exciting technological innovations we have planned for 2012," says David Ballard, senior vice president and chief information officer of Advisor Group.

Lockwood Advisors Introduces Event Guidebook 

Lockwood Advisors Inc., an affiliate of Pershing LLC based in King of Prussia, Pa., has introduced Seminars and Event Marketing: Creative Ideas to Build and Enhance Relationships, a new guidebook designed to offer financial professionals detailed information on developing successful events. 

Changes in event marketing in recent years now require financial professionals to develop more sophisticated content and unique ways to connect with their target audiences. Written and developed in collaboration with Impact Communications Inc., Seminars and Event Marketing offers suggestions on how to plan original and distinctive events. The guidebook offers case studies on successful, creative, educational, social and community-based events that attract prospects and build relationships. 

iShares Introduces Three New ETFs

BlackRock Inc.'s iShares Exchange-Traded Funds business has launched three new equity ETFs on the NYSE Arca exchange: the iShares MSCI World Index Fund, the iShares MSCI Hong Kong Small Cap Index Fund and the iShares MSCI Singapore Small Cap Index Fund.

The iShares MSCI World Index Fund is a response to client interest in a global developed equities "pure play"-a strategy without emerging markets exposure-while the Hong Kong Small Cap and Singapore Small Cap ETFs offer access to smaller developed markets, according to Darek Wojnar, head of U.S. iShares product development and management at BlackRock.

Robeco Launches New Mutual Funds

Robeco Investment Management has launched two new mutual funds, the Robeco Boston Partners Global Equity Fund and the Robeco Boston Partners International Equity Fund. The investment objective of the two funds is to provide long-term capital growth. Boston Partners uses a value-based investment approach it developed over 20 years ago to actively select stocks the managers believe will appreciate in price given attractive valuations and strong fundamentals.