ETF Database » News and Current Affairs

Australia, Auto ETFs In Focus On May Day

Michael Johnston — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:25:12 +0000

Tuesday opens what investors hope will be the eighth consecutive monthly increase for the Dow, as risky asset classes have continued to tack higher in recent weeks despite some Euro zone jitters and concerns about slowing job growth in the U.S. As May Day rallies were carried out across Europe in a new era of austerity, market remained relatively flat throughout the day there. Australian stocks and the Aussie dollar saw significant activity on Tuesday after the Australian central bank announced a hefty half point rate cut for the struggling Australian economy, which has seen its currency surge against major rivals in recent months. The iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund (EWA) was up slightly on the news, with the exchange rate impact preventing a more substantial gain. The CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust (FXA) plummeted by more than 1% on news of the large rate cut. FXA is still well into [...]

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3 ETFs For The End Of Operation Twist

Stoyan Bojinov — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:00:01 +0000

If the second half of 2011 was characterized by rampant stock market volatility and looming uncertainty, the atmosphere on Wall Street could be described as the exact opposite thus far in 2012. Economic data releases on the home front have taken center stage in recent months as better-than-expected results from the labor and housing markets have helped to restore confidence back in the recovery. Underneath the growing euphoria, however, lies an ugly truth; monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve has been a major driver of equity market appreciation, which could point to troublesome times ahead as the latest quantitative easing program nears an end [see also Doomsday Special: 7 Hard Assets You Can Hold In Your Hand]. Ben Bernanke embarked on the latest round of stimulus back in September of 2011 with the start of “Operation Twist”. This cleverly titled program consists of the Fed buying $400 billion of longer-dated Treasuries and selling ones with remaining [...]

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Facebook and The Social Media ETF (SOCL)

Jared Cummans — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:00:41 +0000

On February 1st of this year, Facebook made its long-awaited initial public offering. Investors and the general public have been swirling about an IPO for years, as many have speculated its time frame and when the public would actually be able to get their hands on the stock. The secrecy and rumors were comparable to that of when the iPhone cut its exclusivity with AT&T, leaving the door wide open for other telecom giants as well as investors. Now that Facebook has finally put the speculation to rest, it’s time to look at the facts and figures of the world’s largest social media site [see also Doomsday Special: 7 Hard Asset Investments You Can Hold in Your Hand]. Inside Facebook Facebook is currently home to over 800 million users, roughly 11% of the world’s population. The company “revealed impressive statistics about its growing and active userbase, which totals 845 million members, more [...]

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ETFs To Play AAA Europe

Michael Johnston — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:49 +0000

As most investors are painfully aware at this point, Europe is not in the best of fiscal shape at present. The continent is in the midst of a prolonged debt crisis that is now threatening the continued existence of the euro, and has transformed the region into a form of portfolio Kryptonite; most investors won’t go anywhere near it. Much of the attention has focused on the handful of countries that maintain massive debt burdens that continue to grow, such as Ireland, Spain, and Italy. As the likelihood that these countries will be able to repay their debts deteriorates, their stocks markets have been beaten down as international investors have fled to calmer markets [see Euro Free Europe ETFdb Portfolio]. And unfortunately, the debt crisis is hardly an isolated incident; a number of European economies, including several fairly large components, are struggling mightily to stay afloat. Many European markets have [...]

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Are Gold ETFs The Best Defense Against Euro Drama?

Stoyan Bojinov — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:03:53 +0000

Investors’ confidence has taken a serious beating over the past few months as debt drama on both sides of the Atlantic ocean has paved the way for volatile price action across financial markets. Despite better-than-expected economic data releases on the home front, Euro zone debt woes have definitively taken center stage; sentiment on Wall Street has been largely influenced by rumors and headlines from overseas, while positive fundamental developments have been largely ignored. Amidst the ongoing uncertainty, many have turned to traditional safe haven asset classes, with gold being a popular choice [see Cheapskate Hedge Fund ETFdb Portfolio]. However, the precious yellow metal has lost a bit of its luster throughout this recent turmoil, as the hot commodity has failed to provide investors with much of a cushion. Gold is a versatile commodity, capable of serving as a hedge against inflation, while often times it is simply regarded as a [...]

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HOLDRS Conversion Begins: Investor Action Required

Michael Johnston — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:00:28 +0000

Van Eck has begun the process of converting six HOLDRS products offered by Merrill Lynch into traditional ETFs that will be included under the Market Vectors lineup, offering investors an opportunity to exchange their receipts in HOLDRS trusts for shares in the new ETFs. The exchange requires affirmative action on the part of investors, meaning that advisors or individuals with positions in existing HOLDRS must take action in order to receive shares in the new ETFs. The exchange offer is expected to remain open until December 20. “We have structured the offers, in our view, to be investor friendly,” said Adam Phillips, Managing Director of ETFs at Van Eck Global. “Potential benefits of participation include the opportunity for uninterrupted exposure to target industries, a partially tax-advantaged exchange, and no costs associated with the offers.” Van Eck also noted that the new structure could allow investors to achieve more complete and [...]

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Italy ETF Slaughtered: Time To Sell?

Jared Cummans — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:00:15 +0000

It’s no secret that the euro-zone has been the center of market turmoil for the past few weeks as well as a lingering issue for the past year. The thorn in investors’ side comes from a slew of fiscal issues that have already led to one unsuccessful bailout, prompting another austerity package that has yet to be put in place. At the head of it all has been Greece, who has been the guinea pig of the failing euro zone. There were once talks of nixing them from the currency bloc altogether, or that more powerful nations would flee back to their original currencies. But now that Greece is staying on the euro and is headed for a major shift in their governing members, the limelight has been turned to Italy [see also Euro Free Europe Portfolio Now Available]. The Italian Job Italy has always been a problem nation in this recent crisis, along with [...]

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Why The Fishing ETF Is Green Around The Gills

Jared Cummans — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:00:05 +0000

As the ETF world has rapidly developed, a number of issuers have begun to explore niche markets with hyper-targeted exposure for investors looking for unique allocations. Such innovation has brought products dedicated to smartphones, cloud computing, fertilizer, and even the fishing industry. At first, investors may write some of these newer options off as silly investments or funds that are simply looking to cash in on the recent ETF success, but some of these products offer one-of-a-kind exposure that can be found nowhere else in the space. Take the Global X Fishing Industry ETF (FISN) for example, launched earlier this year, the fund exclusively offers exposure to the global fishing industry, a very niche space in the consumer sector [see also ETF Leaders: Best Performing ETFdb Portfolios of 2011]. While fishing investing may be very specialized, no one can deny the industry’s importance to human life throughout history. Fishing has [...]

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Are Russia ETFs A Buy?

Eric Dutram — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:00:19 +0000

Although many emerging markets still have excellent growth prospects, they have been hammered in recent weeks thanks to a ‘risk off’ trade in equities. Broad funds targeting this space, such as VWO or EEM, have fallen sharply in this time period, declining by nearly 16.8% in the past quarter alone. While this may sound bad, it is nothing compared to the steep losses that some specific markets have been facing, especially those tied to natural resources. Russia in particular has been cast aside by many investors in this time frame, pushing shares of the economic juggernaut down by close to 25% in the past three month period. While these losses are obviously significant, one has to question whether it is worth abandoning the nation entirely due to this significant bump in the road. After all, investors must also consider Russia’s lousy demographic situation and the fact that the nation is still a one-trick [...]

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Contrarian ETF Ideas: Investing In The ETF Dogs Of 2011

Michael Johnston — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:45:20 +0000

With three quarters of 2011 officially in the books, it is now safe to say that the year has not played out as many investors had hoped it might. After coming flying out of the gates–most major benchmarks were solidly in positive territory after the first quarter–a perfect storm of negative developments has conspired to hammer valuations of risky assets, leaving many portfolios drenched in red ink. Most equity indexes are down considerably in 2011, with many recently testing new lows on renewed concerns about debt woes in Europe and the frustrating lack of job creation in the U.S. While the vast majority of equity ETFs are now deep in negative territory for the year, some have, of course, been hit harder than others. A handful of funds have piled up year-to-date losses that exceed 35%, with several losing almost half of their value since the start of the year. [...]

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ETF Database » News and Current Affairs

Australia, Auto ETFs In Focus On May Day

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3 ETFs For The End Of Operation Twist

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Facebook and The Social Media ETF (SOCL)

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ETFs To Play AAA Europe

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Are Gold ETFs The Best Defense Against Euro Drama?

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HOLDRS Conversion Begins: Investor Action Required

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Italy ETF Slaughtered: Time To Sell?

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Why The Fishing ETF Is Green Around The Gills

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Are Russia ETFs A Buy?

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Contrarian ETF Ideas: Investing In The ETF Dogs Of 2011

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