The first wave of growth in the ETF industry came as investors embraced the exchange-traded structure as an improvement over traditional actively mutual funds–a more cost-efficient and tax-friendly way to access traditional asset classes such as stocks and bonds. But in recent years much of the growth in ETF assets has been attributable to “democratizing” products that bring previously hard-to-reach or inefficient asset classes within reach. [click to continue…]
With the summer driving season just around the corner, surging GDP growth around the world, and another earnings season off to an impressive start, more and more investors are taking a closer look at oil markets. As OPEC begins to once again flex its collective muscle and demand from emerging markets continues to build, some [...]
After soaring from all time lows in March 2009 through the end of the year, many alternative-energy ETFs have fallen sharply in 2010, as crumbling government finances have forced certain countries to scale back or eliminate altogether subsidies to this still-nascent industry. Many alternative energy sectors have tumbled by 10% or more in the first [...]
From an investment perspective, the U.S. has historically been the dog and the rest of the world the tail. Global equity markets have taken their cues from Wall Street, and economic developments in the U.S have rippled throughout the world. The U.S. remains a very important part of the global economy, but the last few [...]
As any experienced investor knows, bonds play a critical role in the portfolio construction process, and should generally make up a significant portion of any well-diversified portfolio. While the fixed income investing scene has historically been dominated by Treasuries, a prolonged period of low interest rates (along with the Fed’s refusal to even hit at [...]
Homebuilders were among the hardest hit sectors during the recent recession, as steep declines in demand for new properties brought this once-booming industry to a standstill. However, the combination of legislative initiatives (such as the home buyer tax credit) and record low interest rates have breathed life into a sector that was recently left for [...]
With Treasuries and corporate bonds offering record low yields and perhaps relatively high risk, many investors have begun looking elsewhere for opportunities to provide reliable income to their portfolios. Dividend-paying ETFs are one interesting option, but some investors are hesitant to swing big portions of their fixed income allocation into equities.
