Wednesday was a sour day for the markets are resurfacing Euro zone debt woes stemming from the latest Italian bond auction sparked a wave of risk-aversion as traders flocked to U.S. Treasuries and the dollar. The Nasdaq led the way lower, sinking 1.34% on the day, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average held its ground best, losing 1.14%. Gold’s price performance was well correlated with weakness in the euro, as investors were anxious to raise cash ahead of tomorrow’s longer-term Italian bond sale [see Are Gold ETFs The Best Defense Against Euro Drama?].
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Equity markets inched higher last week as news from the Euro zone was sparse, while economic data releases on the home front surprised to the upside. The final trading week of one of the most volatile periods in financial history is sure to abundant with more of the same: excitement, drama, and perhaps even the [...]
Equity markets charged higher on Thursday, recouping losses from yesterday, as optimism swept over Wall Street following better-than-expected jobless claims data. The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 Index tied, both gaining 0.83% on the day, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged behind, clinching gains of 0.51%. Gold futures drifted lower amidst the holiday cheer, [...]
The ETF industry has been praised for the many advantages that it offers investors. Exchange traded products are liquid, transparent, and cover a broad range of investment classes to help round out portfolios. On top of all of these advantages lies the cost factor; one of the founding principles of ETPs was to maintain cost [...]
For a brief moment, it seemed like Friday was going to end the week on a positive note, but a sell-off midway through the day ensured that markets would finish relatively flat. All in all, the Dow finished out the day down 2 points and the S&P 500 gained just 0.3%. The euro was able [...]
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 [...]
Today was another dismal trading session as euro fears continued to plague markets. The Dow lost over 130 points while the NASDAQ and S&P 500 lost 1.6% and 1.1% respectively. Though many were hoping for a “Santa rally” to close out the year, markets have been riddled with instability as the last few weeks have [...]
Equity markets extended losses into Tuesday as unresolved Euro drama continues to weigh down on confidence, while the Federal Open Market Committee meeting at home sparked a wave of panic selling. The Nasdaq led the way lower, down 1.26% on the day, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average proved to be most resilient, shedding 0.55%. [...]
U.S. ETF assets declined slightly in November according to the latest data from the National Stock Exchange, as the rapidly-growing industry experienced net outflows amidst a general flight from both domestic and international equities. The industry finished last month with $1.06 trillion in net assets, down about 2% from the previous month but up 12% [...]
With over 1,400 exchange-traded products on the market, investors have likely run into some seemingly “duplicate” offerings. While many of the “plain vanilla” products have quite a bit in common, there are more than a handful of funds which offer seemingly identical exposure, although a closer look under the hood reveals some noteworthy surprises [see [...]
With the finish line in sight, it’s fairly safe to say that 2011 will be remembered by most investors as a wild, back-and-forth year that brought plenty of both hope and despair. A hot start raised optimism of a continued recovery after a generally impressive 2011, but the summer months were anything but relaxing; major [...]
