With the possible exceptions of baseball and apple pie, few things are more American than waiting until the last minute to finish up holiday shopping. Nothing says “Happy Holidays” like stress that comes from realizing that the final countdown to Christmas is well underway and you’ve hardly made a dent in your shopping list. We’re not sure exactly what makes for a good gift for the in-laws, and have no clue about this season’s hot toy (Pogs? Tickle-Me-Elmo?). But if anyone on your shopping list has an interest in ETFs, we just might be able to help; here are five last minute gift ideas for the ETF investor in your life: [click to continue…]
As the summer months draw to a close, many ETFs find themselves in negative territory on the year; an extension of 2009′s magnificent rally has simply not materialized. Many of the disappointing performances from equity ETFs have been easy enough to explain, as scenarios that have played out countless times before have dragged down stocks. [...]
Taking a quick look around the investing landscape, one might not immediately suspect that we’ve entered the dog days of summer; there is no shortage of bears who have seemingly come out of hibernation. But not everyone is down on the economic outlook with bulls making a case for a strong second half of 2010. [...]
The 2010 FIFA World Cup final will take place this Sunday with the match being between Netherlands and Spain. In light of this major sporting event, we compare and contrast the two ETFs tracking the respective countries to see who would win a match on the financial pitch.
Happy Fourth of July from the team at ETF Database! Given the chaos of recent weeks in financial markets, investors should be thrilled to relax with fireworks, family gatherings, and good old-fashioned barbecues. To celebrate the Fourth, we take a timeout from talks of double dips, oil spills, unemployment to highlight five all-American ETFs that [...]
One of the greatest spectacles in sports kicks off in South Africa over the weekend, with 32 countries gathering to compete in the final stages of the World Cup. Even the economists of the world have taken an interest in the upcoming matches; ABN Amro recently released a note predicting that the world economy would [...]
Socially responsible investing is by no means a new concept; mutual funds that limit holdings deemed to companies deemed to be good corporate citizens have been around for nearly 40 years. Socially responsible or “sustainable” investing has been slow to make its way into the ETF industry, but there are signs of that changing; last [...]
As ETFs have transitioned from a closet industry to a mainstream investment vehicle, a growing number of investors has become familiar with the exchange-traded structure and the nuances of of the industry. Most advisors now recognize the “super tickers”–SPY, GLD, EEM, etc.–and have a good feel for the size and scope of the industry. But [...]
The ETF industry continues to demonstrate impressive growth, both in assets and number of products. Already in 2010 more than 60 new ETFs have hit the market, putting this year on pace to shatter last year’s product development record. This surge in product offerings has led some to lament that the industry has reached (or [...]
In recent years, ETFs have been the ultimate growth industry. In 2009 more than 120 new products hit the market, and the first quarter of 2010 saw nearly 60 new launches. While some of these new products are “plain vanilla” funds competing directly with existing ETFs, the bulk of expansion in the space has been [...]
Whenever a company prepares for a public offering, executives have been known to spend an inordinate amount of time choosing the combination of letters that will serve as the company’s ticker and often nickname within the investment community. To many, the fixation on selecting the perfect ticker seems like an irrational obsession on par with [...]
