Dividend ETFs have been at the intersection of two of the hottest investing trends over the last year or so, turning in stellar performances and attracting huge cash inflows. Interest in dividend-paying stocks has skyrocketed, as these securities have double-edged appeal as tools for both smoothing overall volatility and enhancing the current returns derived from equity portfolios. In an environment with several large risks continuing to loom overhead and depressed interest rates, that combination is tough to beat. Not surprisingly, ETFs have become a preferred vehicle for accessing dividend-focused strategies; there are now more than 45 dividend ETFs accessible to U.S. investors, with aggregate assets of more than $40 billion [see Premium Report: Dividend ETFs In Focus].
Dividend ETFs have turned in some impressive performance figures over the past 14 months or so; since the start of 2011, the WisdomTree Large Cap Dividend Fund (DLN) has beaten the S&P 500 SPDR (SPY) by nearly 500 basis points. That margin is particularly impressive considering that stocks have generally been up over that period, and dividend payers should presumably be “safer” investments. [click to continue…]
This past week was relatively tame as far as important data is concerned, but that does not mean that it was without its high points. The Greek debt deal certainly sparked life in trading as the world formed their own opinions on the second bailout and whether or not it would save the drowning country. All the [...]
PowerShares, one of the pioneers of the factor-driven ETFs, announced this week an expansion of its suite of international products. The company has rolled out two new ETFs that will target high beta stocks in international stock markets, giving investors new tools for amplifying their exposure to volatile equities in markets beyond the U.S. The [...]
This year is off to a hot start for U.S. equity markets as encouraging economic data has helped to restore confidence in the domestic recovery, paving the way higher for stocks as investors increase their risk appetite. The bull-run on Wall Street has undoubtedly caught investors’ eyes, and many are looking for a way to tap into [...]
Last year was riddled with volatility across the board as European debt woes took center stage. Despite all of the uncertainty spilling over from the debt burdened currency bloc, U.S. stocks managed to end the year far better than their developed and emerging market counterparts. Nonetheless, resurfacing worries over the health of the global economic [...]
With more than 1,400 exchange-traded products now available to U.S. investors, odds are that there will be more than one option for most desired exposures. In many cases, the generally similar products targeting a specific asset class or strategy will deliver generally similar returns. But just because two ETFs have names that sound alike or [...]
As indexes have been essentially transformed into investable assets in part because of surging interest in ETFs, many advisors and investors have begun to take a closer look at the details of the methodologies behind the construction and maintenance of these benchmarks. Cap weighting, where the largest weights are afforded to the largest companies, has [...]
Stocks drifted lower to start the week as resurfacing Euro zone debt woes brought back the bears. Domestic equity indexes retreated into red territory after European leaders put pressure on Greek lawmakers to meet and accept the conditions of the proposed $171 billion bailout. Investors were spooked as worries intensified after Greek leaders failed to [...]
SPY has long been the king of exchange traded products. Hitting the market in 1993, this fund has amassed nearly $100 billion in assets making it not only the largest ETF in the world, but also one of the largest funds available to investors. Its ultra low expenses and massive daily volume have allowed it [...]
ETF investing has surged in recent years as the industry has experienced exponential growth in nearly all aspects of the universe. Now, there are over 1,400 products with more than $1 trillion in combined assets to offer exposure to just about every corner of the market an investor could ever want. But while these products [...]
It is no secret that the ETF industry is dominated by just a handful of products. The majority of the $1 trillion plus assets are confined to roughly 100 funds, leaving the other 1,300 ETFs in the dust. But as growth in the industry continues to pick up, more and more funds are entering elite [...]
