No matter where investors look in the developed world, the picture isn’t pretty. In the U.S. unemployment remains intolerably high, and uncertainty over the latest round of QE will continue to hang over stock markets. In Europe efforts to control surging deficits have been met with protests and public outrage, complicating the process of reeling in government spending through austerity and establishing a platform for sustainable economic growth. And in Japan, the central bank has taken steps to weaken the currency in order to keep the country’s important exporters competitive on the global stage. However, the country’s debt levels now approach 200% of GDP–by far one of the highest levels in the developed world–raising all sorts of red flags around a market that has been stick in economic quicksand for the better part of two decades. [click to continue…]
The proliferation of U.S.-listed ETFs in recent years has simplified the asset allocation process for investors, making it easier than ever to execute various types of strategies in a cost-efficient and low-maintenance manner. Investors interested in focusing their equity exposure around stocks that exhibit low pricing multiples and attractive dividend yields, for example, have no [...]
With interest rates at record lows and expected to remain depressed for the foreseeable future, investors have been forced to get creative in their hunt for current return. Some have shifted domestic fixed income holdings along the risk/return continuum, seeking out more attractive yields from junk bonds. Others have ventured beyond the U.S. borders, embracing [...]
All indications are that the global recession ended long ago and a recovery is now well underway. But storm clouds remain over much of the global economy, preventing green shoots from taking root. The economic hurdles in the developed world are both numerous and significant. The number of unemployed Americans continues to rise. Europe is [...]
It’s been an interesting week in the world of ETFs: The leaders of the G-20 nations met in Pittsburgh, existing home sales fell 2.7% in August, and oil fell below $66/bbl. Here are the ETF Database staff picks of the week’s most important and interesting stories from around the Web:
