Global equity markets went on a wild ride during the month of August, and judging from September’s roaring start, many investors are probably scratching their heads in disbelief. At home, economic data indicators have started to show a trend of deceleration,while the debt crisis overseas seems to dominate headlines and spark sell-offs of all sorts ever since the debt drama at home “passed”. Gold continues to thrive in this uncertain environment as prices for the precious metal hit $1,923 an ounce last week amidst the seemingly escalating chaos.
Weekly Outlook
The coming week will feature a considerable amount of economic data releases both on the home front and overseas. Inflation data from the United Kingdom and a New Zealand bank rate decision may potentially spark waves of volatility in the currency markets. At home, retail sales and consumer price index will be some of the more important releases that have a tendency to move the markets. Below, we highlight ETFs that may see an increase in trading activity as relevant market data is released and evaluated by investors:
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Sector rotation techniques have been around for decades, a relatively simple strategy often used by investors seeking to capitalize on short-term mispricings in order to generate alpha. In its most basic form, sector rotation involves segmenting the equity universe by industry, and moving into and out of various sectors depending on relative attractiveness from a [...]
Investors poured into U.S. Treasuries last week as far worse than expected economic data from the manufacturing and housing sectors sent waves of anxiety through equity markets both in the U.S. and abroad. Surprisingly enough, amidst all the chaos even gold failed to climb much higher and the precious metal closed just above $1,540 for [...]
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Last week saw the end of a year that was relatively kind to investor portfolios, as most major asset classes managed to post strong results in 2010. As the calendars flip to 2011, the outlook remains uncertain; lingering obstacles in the form of high unemployment and bloated debt loads certainly pose problems, but rapidly-expanding emerging [...]
After being hammered during the most recent recession, the technology sector has enjoyed a stellar recovery over the last 18 months, thanks to an impressive string of innovations that includes 3-D television, touchscreen tablet computers, and a new generation of mobile phones that seem to become both more sophisticated and more ubiquitous by the day. [...]
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While most investors are relatively familiar with metals such as gold and copper, few know anything about an increasingly vital group of resources known as “rare earths.” As the name suggests, these metals are very scarce, but are needed for a variety of modern technologies ranging from alternative fuels to consumer electronics to defense and [...]
Equity markets finished relatively flat on Monday, as most investors waited for earnings season to begin after the bell with aluminum giant Alcoa and railroad company CSX kicking things off. The Dow finished ahead by 18 points while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 both traded up by less than 2 points each. In commodity markets, [...]
Recent weeks have highlighted the “new normal” in the investing world, as concerns of a debt crisis in Europe have rippled throughout the global economy. On Wall Street, developments in the streets of Athens and the German Bundestag have trumped more local economic indicators, as U.S. markets have taken their cues from across the pond [...]
ETFs were originally embraced by buy-and-hold investors as an optimal, low-cost vehicle for inclusion in a long-term retirement portfolio. But in recent years they have become popular among more active traders who value their liquidity and efficiency in providing exposure to various asset classes. Once used primarily by beta grazers, ETFs have become a favorite [...]
