An exchange traded fund or ETF is a fund that tracks an index, but can be traded like a stock. But plenty of mutual funds track indexes, directly or indirectly. So, what's the advantage of ETFs?

Private equity firm Blackstone plans to invest more than $1.57 billion in a project to build wind farms in the North Sea to generate electricity, people familiar with the matter said.

With the proliferation of energy-oriented mutual funds over the last ten years, getting a piece of this supercharged, if highly volatile, sector has never been easier. But energy funds have been notoriously hot and cold over the years, so investors should allocate no more than 5 percent of their total portfolio to this sector.

Morgan Stanley said on Monday it has raised a $4 billion infrastructure fund, exceeding its target, and is targeting investments in sectors like transportation, energy and utilities.

While market volatility can be nerve-racking, including certain investing strategies can help soften the blow or allow you to generate significant upside from these big swings.  Diversification is a relatively safe and simple way. Hedging is another.

Brazil's strong growth-- fueled by red-hot commodities exports and a strong domestic demand-- offers investors a growing range of options.

Bond fund specialist Pacific Investment Management plans to launch a new portfolio run by Mohamed El-Erian, who helped increase Harvard University's huge endowment as the school's chief investment officer.

When it comes to selecting a 529 plan from the dozens that exist, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula.  Ultimately, it depends on your savings goals, tolerance for risk and time horizon for your child heading off to college.

There are a number of ways for parents to save for college tuition,  but so-called 529 plans are probably the best. Though you might need to study up on the terms and choices, the plans provide enough tax advantages to make it worth your while.

Though Wall Street has been quick to judge the character failings of Gov. Eliot Spitzer following his alleged participation in a prostitution ring, the man’s record as a crime-fighter against Wall Street and Corporate America drew mixed reviews.

Garret Van Wagoner is departing the stock picking business, saying that his firm plans to hire outside managers to run all but one of its funds. The other will be a fund of funds run by Van Wagoner.

Schroders, Scottish Widow and Fidelity are among the funds that haven’t been keeping up with the pack in terms of returns, while Invesco Perpetual Income and High Income were among the best, a report from independent financial advisors bestinvest showed on Tuesday.

The commodities boom may be one driver of inflation, but it been a powerful engine for emerging market economies and will very likely be a key component of the global growth equation in 2008. Government and corporate leaders from both developed and developing countries gathering in Davos Switzerland for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting will be weighing in on that economic dynamic.

Challenge: Finding investments positioned to thrive when things get better. Morningstar mutual fund analyst Karen Dolan singles out five funds that look good -- even if their recent records aren't all that impressive.

Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns is in talks to buy about a 10 percent stake of China's biggest fund house in a move aimed at tapping the country's red-hot mutual fund market, two sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Thursday.