Business News - Mutual Funds - The New York Times Brazil has seen its economic growth slow, while protests have flared nationwide. And its stock market, a powerhouse over the last decade, has recently turned much lower. Robert A.G. Monks, Crusading Against Corporate Excess The founder of corporate-governance organizations may have a courtly style, but he is hard-charging in his efforts to make companies more transparent and democratic. Gold's One Certainty: Its Decline Has Been Swift Anxieties about the economy have waned, hurting gold prices. But a lack of clarity on the recovery's momentum is also dogging the metal. A Dimming Outlook for Bonds May Require Some Rethinking In the long or the short term, challenges appear to be ahead for fixed-income investors. When Weak Balance Sheets Outperform the Strong In the first half of the year, the market richly rewarded investors in many companies with weak balance sheets - those with relatively high debt loads. Mutual Funds That Made Sense of a Confusing Market Managers of some of the better-performing mutual funds in the second quarter found strength in diverse holdings. Graphic: Ahead of the Market