March has gotten off to a start similar to January, as another strong performance Tuesday has investors hoping the recent run-up will prove more sustainable than mini-rally that started the year. A showdown in the tech sector caught the attention of investors, as Apple filed a patent infringement lawsuit against HTC, the maker of Google-based smartphones. Elsewhere, Ford posted a 43% rise in U.S. light vehicles last month, beating GM in monthly sales for the first time in more than ten years. [click to continue…]
March got off to a hot start on Monday, as equity markets posted gains on a positive manufacturing outlook and multiple reports of M&A activity. Most notably, UK-based Prudential PLC agreed to buy AIG’s Asia operations for $35.5 billion in cash and stock. Elsewhere, the Institute of Supply Management reported that its index of manufacturing activity reflected an expansion for February, while the employment index grew for the third consecutive month. Chilean stock markets reopened for business as usual on Monday following a devastating earthquake over the weekend. The iShares MSCI Chile Investable Market Index Fund (ECH) lost 1.4% on the day, while the iPath Copper Total Return ETN (JJC) jumped 1.8% on concerns of prolonged supply disruptions in the world’s largest copper producing country. [click to continue…]
Equity markets were choppy last week as investors digested a slew of data regarding all facets of the economy. Consumer confidence was sharply lower, while unemployment claims rose and existing home sales sunk, calling into question the strength of a global recovery. Across the Atlantic, investors remained worried about the future of the euro as [...]
Just weeks after a devastating earthquake sparked a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, another natural disaster has hit the South American nation of Chile. Early Saturday morning, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, the fifth strongest ever measured in the country, occurred off of Chile’s coast, causing massive destruction throughout the region. At least 100 aftershocks of magnitude [...]
The proliferation of commodity ETFs has brought this “fourth asset class” within reach of more investors than ever before. But as many have learned the hard way, resource fundamentals are only one of the factors that impact many exchange-traded commodities, and the nuances of the futures market often have a more significant impact than changes [...]
San Francisco-based iShares, which was acquired by BlackRock from Barclays last year, has more than 180 U.S.-listed ETFs. But the distribution of assets is far from even across these funds. At the end of 2009, the ten largest iShares ETFs–only about five percent of the issuer’s product line–accounted for 50% of total assets. So there’s [...]
It’s been an interesting week in the world of ETFs: Greek government debt was downgraded and world leaders continued their climate conference in Copenhagen. Here are the ETF Database staff picks of the week’s most important and interesting stories from around the Web:
Earlier this year, best-selling author Harry Dent , Jr. ventured into the ETF industry, launching the Dent Tactical ETF (DENT) in a move that further blurred the lines between active and passive management. DENT is actively managed by a team of analysts using primarily economic and demographic analysis to determine the overall trend of U.S. [...]
Much has been made of the growth of the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. But the fact remains that despite their impressive growth rates, all of these countries remain very poor relative to the developed world. For example, in the People’s Republic of China, more than one third of the population lives [...]
It’s been an interesting week in the world of ETFs: U.S. equity markets ended the week on a sour note with most benchmarks down about 2%. Here are the ETF Database staff picks of the week’s most important and interesting stories from around the Web:
Copper, one of the world’s most versatile metals, saw prices crash in late 2008 and early 2009 amidst the prolonged housing slump and decreased demand from China and other emerging markets. However, prices have come roaring back and are now up over 100% from its lows and within striking distance of the $3 per pound [...]
Although last month’s news of a blockbuster deal between iShares and BlackRock dominated the headlines and was widely trumpeted as a “gamechanger” for the industry, the fund giant recently inked another deal that drew far less attention but may prove to be of far more long term importance for the ETF industry. Last week, iShares reached an [...]
