In a year that has seen many stock markets struggle to find their footing, one of the bright spots in the global economy has been the developing Asian market of Malaysia. The Malaysian economy expanded at rate of 4.5% in the fourth quarter of 2009, and the government is now forecasting GDP growth of 6% for 2010. Due to this impressive growth, as well as the central bank policies of many of its neighbors (such as India, China, and Vietnam), many believe that Malaysia will be the next Asian economy to raise rates. In a recent survey of 29 economists, 13 believed that the Malaysian central bank would start a tightening cycle in the near future, which has helped to send the ringgit, the Malaysian currency, sharply higher. On Thursday, Bank Negara Malaysia hiked its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.25%, citing improvements in the domestic economy that allowed the gradual easing of stimulus measures implemented in recent years. [click to continue…]
Barclays Global Investors is planning to develop and introduce an iShares Genocide-Free ETF, offering an alternative to investors who are uneasy about holding securities of companies associated with genocide. According to a press release, the company plans to partner with an index provider to identify and screen out companies around the world that they believe [...]
It’s been an interesting week in the world of ETFs: U.S. unemployment hit 10.2%, the highest since 1983, while gold traded around $1100/oz. Here are the ETF Database staff picks of the week’s most important and interesting stories from around the Web:
Throughout the first half of 2009, emerging market ETFs have been a hot discussion topic and investment option, with much of the attention focused on stellar returns to BRIC funds and the boom in the Chinese real estate market. While that attention is much deserved, these behemoths have overshadowed an investment jewel in Southeast Asia [...]
