Pimco's Bill Gross, manager of the world's largest bond fund, reassured investors and clients on Wednesday that the departure of his heir apparent, Mohamed El-Erian, will not affect the performance of the firm. "Believe me when I say, we are a better team at this moment than we were before," Gross, co-founder and co-chief investment officer at Pimco, said in his monthly letter. "I/we take the future challenge faced by all asset managers with close to a sacred trust." He advised readers to "stick with PIMCO." [Reuters]