Not surprisingly, this year has seen fewer fund launches compared to last year. During the first half of 2009, there were a total of 315 fund launches, compared with 741 in the same period last year, according to a published report.

An edge in today's market means catering to investor's hunger for conservative portfolios that are stable, fixed income and balanced funds. The most popular funds to launch to-date are large-cap core, multi-cap core and large-cap growth.

“Until you have a real sense that the equity markets are strong and are going to rise with some consistency, I think you will see a real conservative streak on the part of investors,” Burt Greenwald, a Philadelphia-based mutual fund consultant, told InvestmentNews. 

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