Economists are bullish on China's new leadership

Economists discuss China's new leadership, and how it will affect the world's second-largest economy.

FORTUNE -- How will China overcome its own cliff? That was the question for a group of Chinese economists Monday who gathered at the New York Stock Exchange to offer their forecast for the world's second-largest economy. The annual conference sponsored by the National Committee on U.S.-China relations had a twist this year. For the first time MORE

Don Yacktman: A fund manager's faith produces results

Don Yacktman has led two of the world's fastest-growing stock funds while helping his daughter recover from a devastating stroke.

FORTUNE -- The County Line barbecue joint in Austin is buzzing at lunchtime -- you can smell the charred red meat half a mile away. Way in the back corner, Don Yacktman is enjoying his usual: a plate of lean brisket, peppered turkey breast, potato salad, and baked beans. He's surrounded MORE

Too early to call AIG bailout a success

Four years later, the government is selling its stake in AIG. But the long-term consequences of a bailout the size of Singapore's GDP are hard to assess.

FORTUNE -- The U.S. Treasury is finally ridding itself of AIG stock, four long years after the government's bailout escalated to $182 billion, after AIG continued paying bonuses when it shouldn't have, and after enraged taxpayers lobbed death threats at executives.

Yes, the bailout is over. MORE

Don't believe the hype about special dividends

Most companies aren't rushing to beat the fiscal cliff with special payouts -- they regularly pay these dividends.

FORTUNE -- In the run-up to the fiscal cliff, special dividends are being called Corporate America's answer to higher taxes. Companies are rushing, analysts say, to reward shareholders with billions in special payouts before individuals' dividend tax rates are raised in 2013. Costco (COST) just announced a massive special dividend, as did Wynn MORE

Bruce Berkowitz: The return of a star fund manager

Bruce Berkowitz and his Fairholme Fund have made a comeback - relying on the same stocks that cost his fund so dearly in 2011.

FORTUNE -- Only a handful of mutual fund managers have ever had the sort of epic run that Bruce Berkowitz (and his investors) enjoyed. In the first decade of this century, his 13.2% annual returns obliterated the S&P 500 (SPX), which averaged 1% yearly losses. He was MORE

Jefferies' flight to safety: Is this the new Wall Street?

The independent investment bank sought the security of Leucadia instead of going on its own.

FORTUNE -- If you think Wall Street doesn't hear the calls to reduce risk, look at Jefferies.

The investment bank, which announced its proposed sale to Leucadia National on Monday, is one of the biggest banking success stories. The rare conservative i-bank on Wall Street, Jefferies flew through the credit crisis of 2008-09 and last year survived misleading analyst claims (and later rumors) MORE

Nike will be just fine without Lance

The news that Nike dropped disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong signals it can move beyond superstars.

FORTUNE -- Just like Joe Paterno, Lance Armstrong was revered on Nike's sprawling 192-acre Oregon campus. Paterno's name adorned a child care center, while Armstrong's ran in big metal block letters across a fitness center.

On Wednesday, Armstrong followed Paterno into the rare class of Nike (NKE) endorsers to be unceremoniously expelled by the sports giant.

It's hard to grasp how MORE

Mark Mobius: Debunking fears of a Chinese crash

The emerging-markets legend, who runs $45 billion at Franklin Templeton, is betting on China's growth.

FORTUNE -- Mark Mobius has picked up a variety of nicknames over the years -- the Pied Piper of Emerging Markets, the Globetrotter -- but all of them are inspired by the same fact: The 73-year-old has long been one of Wall Street's most adventurous investors. After more than four decades of investing in developing markets, MORE

How to survive a Wall Street meltdown

The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers almost killed Neuberger Berman. Can the company succeed now by embracing Lehman's global ambitions?

FORTUNE -- The asset management business isn't the bastion of stability it used to be. Long known for oh-so-reliable fees and enviable profit margins, traditional equity managers have seen clients stampede to alternatives as the stock market stalled for a decade. They've lost customers to everything from low-cost ETFs to emerging-markets funds, MORE

Why AIG is still the market's scariest stock

Today many institutional investors are afraid to hold shares of the insurance giant. But they are missing its upside as AIG claws back to profitability.

FORTUNE -- Julian Robertson, the hedge fund legend, yesterday revealed a new stake in whipping-boy-cum-recovery-story American International Group. These days Robertson only invests his own money, but news quickly spread that the "father of hedge funds" was making a hefty bet. AIG shares promptly spiked 4% MORE