Through the eyes of an investors, the consumer sector of the global economy is generally split into two segments: consumer staples and consumer discretionaries. Consumer staples stocks generally include those that manufacture and sell goods that are vital components of most household budgets, such as food and non-durable household goods. Companies producing goods that are deemed to be more of a luxury spend are classified as consumer discretionary stocks. [click to continue…]
BlackRock’s acquisition of Barclays Global Investors and iShares seemingly went off without a hitch earlier this month. But certain actions required by terms of the deal have proven difficult to wrap up, resulting in a dozen iShares funds now operating under interim investment advisory agreements and potentially closing down.
As the ETF industry has exploded on to the scene in recent years, sponsors have aggressively launched funds in an attempt to gain market share. While many of these new ETFs have attracted sufficient investor funds to justify continued operation, some have failed to garner a level of investment necessary to support an active, liquid market [...]
Consumer discretionary ETFs surged Tuesday morning on news that consumer confidence increased again in May to its highest level since September 2008. The Conference Board announced that its index of consumer confidence for May increased to 54.9 from 40.8 in April (originally reported at 39.2). Expectations for economic activity over the next six months jumped [...]
