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Hitchhiker’s Guide To The ETF Galaxy

Michael Johnston — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:23 +0000

At times, it seems as if the number of ETFs available to U.S. investors will soon exceed the number of stars in the sky. That might be overstating things a bit, but the pace of expansion in the ETF industry has truly been impressive over the last several years. With multiple products seemingly debuting every week and very few shutting down (despite countless predictions to the contrary), the size of the ETF lineup has effectively doubled in a relatively short period of time. And there’s no indication that the product development front is going to be slowing down any time soon; issuers continue to file for both innovative and duplicative products, producing a pipeline full of hundreds of funds that could debut at some point in the next several months [see also 3 ETFs For A Euro Zone Double-Dip]. The proliferation of ETFs, ETNs, and other exchange-traded cousins of these [...]

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Three ETFs To Watch This Week: EFA, EWC, GLD

Jared Cummans — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:00:03 +0000

This past week was chock full of data on the home front, as the U.S. poured on a number of key economic reports with the majority coming in positive. Despite a sell off on Friday, major indexes still covered some ground this week, as Tuesday saw the Dow close above 13,000 for the first time in years, sparking a bit of investor confidence across the board. The coming week will be equally as busy, but this time the focus will be on international markets, as a number of countries around the world will be releasing major economic indicators. Below, we outline three ETFs to keep a close eye on as this first full week of March unfolds [see also Tax Reform And Dividend ETFs: Cause For Concern?]. MSCI EAFE Index Fund (EFA) Why EFA Will Be In Focus: This fund is designed to track the performance of equity markets in European, [...]

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Ex-Japan ETFs In Focus

Michael Johnston — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:00:05 +0000

Most investors looking to generate alpha and accumulate wealth over the long term spend the bulk of their time determining which asset classes should be included in their portfolio, either as long-term building blocks or shorter-term tactical allocations. But sometimes the most effective means of generating excess returns is not identifying and overweighting the top performers, but identifying and avoiding the laggards. Those with the good fortune to move out of financial stocks in 2008 or 2011, for example, have likely achieved better returns than many of their peers. The most important parts of your portfolio, in many cases, are the asset classes that are excluded entirely [see Five ETFs For Doomsday Capitalism]. Case Against Japan Japan is one corner of the market that a growing number of investors see as a drag on returns and as such are looking to avoid when constructing their portfolios. The Asian economy has [...]

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The 10 Most Actively Traded ETFs In The World

Jared Cummans — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:31 +0000

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 had originally been designed for more traditional, “buy and hold”, investors in mind, they have evolved into trading instruments as well. Many traders utilize exchange traded products for exposure given their transparency, ease of trade, and low expense structures [see also 12 High-Yielding Commodities For 2012]. When it comes time to find the perfect trading instrument, many will start with average daily volume and then work their way through the fund’s holdings. Now it should be noted that ADV and ETFs do not necessarily align; because ETFs can undergo creation, a fund with a low [...]

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ETFs: The $10 Billion Club

Jared Cummans — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:00:03 +0000

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 status with hefty assets and trading volumes to go with it [see also Top 5 Commodity ETFs Of 2011]. Investors who are still a bit squeamish about buying into some of the smaller and more hypertargeted products, have a wealth of options available to them. A number of advisors and institutions have minimum requirements for assets under management for the products that they can buy. Along with assets restrictions there are often regulations on age and average daily volume. But for those looking for a fund that meets such strict demands, combing through the entire ETF universe [...]

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2011 Recap: Another Big Year For ETFs

Michael Johnston — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:45:14 +0000

The ETF industry finished 2011 with assets of about $1.06 trillion according to data recently released by the ETF Industry Association. Total assets grew by about 5% over the previous year, when the industry stood at $1.01 trillion. Net cash inflows for the year totaled about $117.6 billion, a slight decrease from 2010 when the industry took in $118.7 billion. In 2009, total ETF inflows tallied about $119.4 billion, meaning that creations have been remarkably consistent over the last three years. December was one of the best months of the year from a cash inflows perspective; approximately $16.2 billion, or about 14% of the annual total, came in during the final month of the year. U.S. equity ETFs accounted for about $41.3 billion in inflows, or approximately 35% of the industry total. But the real growth came in the fixed income arena; bond ETF assets grew from about $129 billion [...]

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Ten New Year’s Resolutions For ETF Investors

Michael Johnston — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:00:07 +0000

For most investors, 2011 was a frustrating year; after some strong early gains seemingly pointed to a continuation of the recovery that took root in 2010, the appearance of some major obstacles sent many major indexes back towards negative territory. The impressive late December rally closed the year on a high note, but there is no doubt room for improvement in 2012 as many attempt to return their portfolios to pre-recession valuations. The continued innovation and growth in the ETF industry in 2011 has given investors more tools in the toolkit than ever before, and it has made easier to maintain portfolios of all degrees of sophistication using only exchange-traded products. For those looking to take more control over their portfolios in the new year, we highlight ten tips that can enhance your ETF experience and help you get the most out of the robust lineup of exchange-traded products [sign [...]

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Where The ETF Money Is Flowing (The Answer Might Surprise You)

Daniela Pylypczak — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:00:57 +0000

As the calendars prepare to flip forward, it appears as if 2011 will go down as a record-breaking year for the ETF industry on the product development front. More than 300 new ETPs began trading this year, shattering the previous record set in 2010. But despite the record size of the ETF lineup, it appears as if growth has slowed quite a bit; cash inflows into ETFs have dropped off in 2011 compared to previous years according to data from the National Stock Exchange. Through the first 11 months of the year, total inflows into exchange-traded products stood at about $101.4 billion, meaning that massive December inflows would be needed to match the hauls for 2010 ($118.7 billion) and 2009 ($119.4). Barring a big surge in the final month of the year, 2011 could be the worst year for the ETF industry since 2006. Of course, the magnitude of the [...]

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10 Equity ETFs That Surged In 2011 (And Might Do The Same In 2012)

Michael Johnston — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:00:27 +0000

This time last year, investors were generally thrilled with the performances of their portfolios, which had continued to bounce back nicely from the devastating recession that hit in 2008. Unfortunately, few are feeling the same sense of accomplishment as 2011 draws to a close; this year has been frustrating in that a few large, swift sell-offs erased any gains that had accumulated, leaving many risky asset classes in negative territory for the year [see also Checking In: Top 5 Equity ETFs of 2010]. Continued concerns about the fiscal health of Europe have weighted on markets around the globe, demonstrating once again just how intertwined global markets are and how struggles in one corner of the globe can translate into difficulties elsewhere. Through December 20, the S&P 500 SPDR (SPY) had managed to squeeze out a small gain on the year–which was considerably better than popular international equity ETFs. Emerging markets, [...]

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The Five Biggest ETF Inflows Of 2011

Jared Cummans — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:00:49 +0000

This past year has been a strong one for the ETF industry. With a record number of launches, already over 300 on the year, it is clear that the exchange traded world is still in full swing. But despite all of the innovation that the year has seen, investors are still partial to their big name funds, making for something of a rough barrier to entry. Below, we outline the five biggest net cash inflows to ETFs this past year, to give advisors and investors an idea of where the big money is going and whether or not your portfolio should be adjusted accordingly. Note that all data is as of 11/30/2011 [see also 25 Things Every Financial Advisor Should Know About ETFs]. 5. Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) Income investing has only grown in recent years as flailing markets and low interest rates have made dividends strategies some of the most lucrative opportunities [...]

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ETF Database » EFA

Hitchhiker’s Guide To The ETF Galaxy

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Three ETFs To Watch This Week: EFA, EWC, GLD

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Ex-Japan ETFs In Focus

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The 10 Most Actively Traded ETFs In The World

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ETFs: The $10 Billion Club

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2011 Recap: Another Big Year For ETFs

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Ten New Year’s Resolutions For ETF Investors

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Where The ETF Money Is Flowing (The Answer Might Surprise You)

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10 Equity ETFs That Surged In 2011 (And Might Do The Same In 2012)

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The Five Biggest ETF Inflows Of 2011

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