The MSCI index of 50 stock markets worldwide rose 0.1% today, marking the eighth consecutive record-breaking trading session. Investors appear to be wagering that the Federal Reserve will delay tapering asset purchases in light of soft employment data.

A summer-long rise in stock prices stems from increased participation by retail investors, JPMorgan Chase analysts say. With the S&P 500 showing a 20% gain this year, the analysts are concerned a "melt-up" might occur.

Self-directed trading among individual investors is poised to rise over the next 12 months, but there are opportunities for professional advisors to convert those investors to clients, according to Broadridge Financial Services. A survey of investors finds that 44% of those who don't work with advisors are likely to begin doing so in the next two years.

Despite the addition of new regulations and safeguards, a cyberattack on US financial markets could have a larger impact on investor confidence than the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks did, according to Jim Besaw, chief investment officer of GenTrust. Cyberattacks are the biggest risk to the US financial system, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said recently.

China Securities Regulatory Commission Chairman Yi Huiman told a conference that the country is moving to further open its capital markets to foreign investors, including facilitating cross-border financing. "Opening-up and cooperation is the inevitable trend in the integrated development of global capital markets," he said.