The European debt crisis along with the possible collapse of the euro have investors fleeing from their investments in much of Europe. Many have attempted to find safe havens in European nations that have no ties to the euro, but with little luck. There are only a select number of ETFs that do not have their claws sunk deep into the failing euro and Noway, one of Europe’s strongest economies, is one of them. Unfortunately for investors seeking to make a play on the Norwegian economy, there is not a viable pure-play ETF option. This is unfortunate because the Norwegian economy could save investors’ foreign capital in these rough economic times. [click to continue…]
Milton Friedman may no longer be with us, but the legend of the Nobel Prize winner has continued to build. Before his death in late 2006, Friedman predicted that the euro, one of the world’s most widely-used currencies, would not be able to withstand its first economic crisis. With much of Europe teetering on brink [...]
Many investors have complained that the big three credit rating agencies in the U.S.–Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch– dropped the ball on the sub-prime mortgage crisis, and have questioned the independence of these agencies and the value of their ratings. Some contend that if these firms had been more diligent, they wouldn’t have given glowing ratings [...]
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 [...]
When explaining the impressive rise of the ETF industry, most are quick to note the major cost differentials and potential tax efficiencies as the primary advantages of exchange-traded products over traditional actively-managed mutual funds. While these factors have certainly been instrumental in growing ETF assets in recent years, there are some other distinguishing aspects of [...]
When the long-simmering debt crisis in Europe finally boiled over last week, chaos ripped through global equity markets. But the worst of the damage was done at the center of the storm, with many European equity markets plunging more than 10% on the week. Although most markets clawed back the ground lost with a sharp [...]
Total ETF assets grew by more than $240 billion in 2009, as funds continued to flow from traditional actively-managed mutual funds and issuers introduced more than 100 new products. Despite some suggestions that the a saturation point is nearing (or has perhaps even been passed), the ETF industry is poised to continue its rapid expansion [...]
Many investors will be sorry to see 2009 end. Following one of the most disruptive years in recent memory in 2008, almost every asset class participated in a stellar recovery this year. At the depth of the recession, fear trumped reason, and irrational anxieties pushed many assets, including ETFs, well below their intrinsic value. Much [...]
Global X, the ETF issuer that last month launched the first sector-specific China ETFs, is expanding its line of products by launching two additional funds offering targeted exposure to the Chinese economy. The Global X China Technology ETF (CHIB) and Global X China Financial ETF (CHIX) began trading Wednesday on the NYSE Arca Exchange, bringing [...]
It’s been an exciting week in the world of ETFs, with new fund launches, a nice run-up on Wall Street, and plenty of other happenings. Here are the ETF Database staff picks of the week’s most important and interesting stories from around the Web:
It’s been quite a week for the ETF industry. Last Friday, Van Eck launched its Market Vectors Vietnam ETF (VNM), the first exchange-traded product to offer U.S. investors exposure to Vietnamese equity markets. Now New York-based Global X Management Company has launched the Global X FTSE Nordic 30 ETF (GXF), the first U.S.-listed fund to [...]
