The bulls continue to reign supreme on Wall Street as earnings and data releases are helping to keep confidence levels afloat. Weekly jobless claims added fuel to the rally after coming in better-than-expected, but many investors couldn’t resist taking some profits off the table considering the stellar run-up; year-to-date, the S&P 500 Index has gained around 14% while the latest weekly employment report showed 323,000 people had filed for unemployment benefits versus the expected 335,000. Amid the euphoria, PowerShares expanded its product lineup with an intriguing emerging markets bond ETF aimed at investors looking to diversify away from the U.S. dollar [see also The Cheapest ETF For Every Investment Objective].
The proliferation of ETFs has allowed for investors to more easily shed their home country bias when it comes to fixed income exposure in their portfolios. Among the 200+ Bond ETFs available, many have been quick to embrace emerging market offerings in lieu of developed market debt given the more attractive yields and potential to generate [...]
Individual emerging market bonds are difficult to purchase and come with significant risk. For this reason, investors are turning to ETFs to gain broad exposure to this market. ETFs don’t remove currency, interest rate, and other risk factors inherent to international bond investing, but the diversification that an ETF offers mitigates these risks and can [...]
As the U.S. market slowly wanders towards the road to recovery, many investors who had avoided the short term effects of the recession are now left scratching their heads, looking for a long term solution for slow American economic growth without risking everything. One option is to look through emerging market bonds, which often offer [...]
This time of year is when many choose to reflect on what they have done over the last 12 months, and what they hope to achieve in a new year. Here at ETFdb we are doing the same, by looking back at our 12 Rapid Fire ETF Ideas For 2012 and what we expected from [...]
Though exchange-traded funds have without question revolutionized and democratized Wall Street by allowing average investors to gain cheap and easy access to nearly every corner of the investable universe, there has understandably been some backlash concerning the nuances and uses of these products. And considering the industry’s relatively short history, it is perhaps not surprising [...]
After a lackluster climax to last week’s Jackson Hole speech, investors finally got a dose of the stimulus that the markets have been craving. Major equity benchmarks staged a massive rally this past Thursday as investors rejoiced over the European Central Bank’s announcement of the “outright monetary transaction” plan, which aims to beef up the government bond-buying [...]
And so it begins. Regarded by many as perhaps the most dismal month for the stock market, investors on Wall Street welcomed September with a sell-off. Aside from historical performance pointing to tumultuous trading in the weeks ahead, investors’ confidence remains plagued by the looming debt drama in Europe. Furthermore, political debates are heating up on the [...]
Equity markets took investors for a roller-coaster ride last week as ongoing threats from the eurozone collided with mixed economic data releases on the homefront. Rising yields on government bonds overseas prompted ECB president Mario Draghi to make a statement reassuring investors that lawmakers would do whatever it takes to ensure the financial stability, and unity, of the debt [...]
Stock markets around the globe are off to a dismal start to the week as debt drama in Europe has managed to spill all over. Resurfacing, and intensifying, worries over the financial health of Spain, Italy, and Greece over the weekend sparked a massive sell-off overseas; authorities in Spain and Italy were even prompted to impose a [...]
Equity markets have endured a choppy week as mixed economic data releases and looming eurozone debt woes continue to plague investors’ confidence. The much anticipated FOMC announcement failed to provide the jolt to stocks many had hoped for after the Fed issued a concerning economic outlook. Amidst the flurry of trading on Wall Street, Huntingon [...]
