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Embattled broker GunnAllen Financial Inc. has lost a top-producing branch — the broker-dealer’s first major defection since the abrupt resignations in December of its holding company’s chairman and chief financial officer. Acumen Investment Services, one of GunnAllen’s top-10 producing branches with 19 registered representatives, is no longer affiliated with the firm, Acumen chief Joseph LaScala told InvestmentNews

The three winners of the 2009 Fund Manager of the Year awards announced today by Morningstar Inc. all have one thing in common: they all stuck to their investment strategies during a difficult period, laying the groundwork for last year’s success. That doggedness is why Bruce Berkowitz, founder and managing member of Fairholme Capital Management LLC, won for domestic-stock fund manager of the year as manager of the Fairholme Fund (FAIRX), said Karen Dolan, director of mutual fund analysis for Morningstar

The stock market might not perform as well in 2010 as it did last year, but the case for equities is still hard to ignore, according to John Buckingham, chief investment officer at Al Frank Asset Management Inc. “I still don’t see a lot of enthusiasm toward equities, which is shocking,” he said. “Those people sitting on the sidelines are wrong.” Mr.

ING plans to replace its traditional variable annuity offering with a simplified VA product that comes with a scaled-back commission. The company will stop marketing its traditional variable annuity in March. At that time, it will release a new product that will pay a level commission of 75 basis points, according to Bill Lowe, head of distribution at ING Financial Solutions.

Let Asian Growth Propel Your Portfolio Higher by Tony Daltorio, Investment U Research Tuesday, January 5, 2009 I’ve got good news and bad news… The good news: Consumer confidence is rising sharply. The bad news: Those consumers live in Asia.

F ord Motor Co. F-N posted a 33 per cent sales gain for December as U.S. auto sales ended 2009 on an upswing after a tumultuous year that saw GM and Chrysler collapse into bankruptcy protection and China overtake the United States as the biggest car market