Most of what’s written about ETNs is cautionary in nature, focusing on the credit risk inherent in any debt security. And with good reason; the risks of ETN investing are very real. While most exchange-traded notes are issued by major financial institutions with lofty credit ratings, the last few years have taught investors that credit risk, however negligible, can never be written off completely. But ETNs also offer some potential advantages to investors. For one, they often offer exposure to hard-to-access asset classes and indexes that traditional ETFs may have difficulties tracking accurately or in a cost-efficient manner. [click to continue…]
As developed economies struggled to regain their footing in the wake of the recent economic downturn, many investors have been drawn to the potential for meaningful growth offered by emerging markets. While recovery efforts in the U.S., western Europe, and Japan have been slow to gain traction and deliver meaningful economic expansion, developing markets have surged ahead, showing no ill effects of the recession and even sparking concerns of overheating. [click to continue…]
After watching their portfolios take devastating blows in 2008, many investors hoped that a new year would bring a reversal of fortune and a recovery of lost assets. After the first two months of the year tested resolve, things finally took a turn for the better in March, and long climb upwards began. Most equity [...]
India reported surprisingly strong GDP growth for the third quarter, posting 7.9% growth in the July through September period. These numbers surprised both analysts and government officials: the growth was higher than even the most bullish analyst forecast, and the Reserve Bank of India said that it will likely revise upward future forecasts. According to [...]
Barclays Global Investors announced on Friday the launch of the iShares S&P India Nifty Fifty Index Fund (INDY), a new ETF tracking an index composed of the 50 largest and most liquid Indian securities listed on the National Stock Exchange of India. INDY will compete with several existing India exchange-traded funds, including products from iPath, [...]
India ETFs, which have already enjoyed tremendous gains this year following well-received election results in May, surged again on Monday, this time as a result of several landmark agreements sealed during U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s first visit to the South Asian nation. While disputes over how to address climate change have cast a [...]
Even the most vocal supporters of passive management and indexing have to admit that certain investor track records are far too stellar to attribute entirely to luck. While I’ve frequently disparaged the concept of active investing, I’m still eager to hear what trends legendary investors are following. The Wall Street Journal’s Gregory Zuckerman recently compiled some [...]
Earlier this year, India conducted one of the world’s largest exercises in democracy when more than 710 million citizens headed to the polls to complete general elections. Following the announcement of the results, several India ETFs (such as PIN, INP, and EPI) surged more than 20% in a single session on news that the Indian National [...]
With a roller coaster six months behind us that saw no shortage of interesting twists and turns and unsuspected headlines, we’ve finally reached the midway point of 2009. Ahead of us is the highly anticipated “second half of 2009,” which for months we’ve heard will hold returns to growth, a recovering economy, and enough green [...]
One of the bright spots in the first half of the year has been the Indian ETFs, which surged last month when the Indian National Congress (INC) party won enough votes to form a government in Delhi without allies for the first time since the 1960s. Election of a party generally viewed as pro-business, as well [...]
Over the past month, India conducted the world’s largest exercise in democracy, sending more than 445 million voters filed into some 828,000 polling places to elect 543 candidates to the lower house of the country’s parliament. After more than a month of voting, results were recently announced by the Election Commission. The winners: the Indian [...]
