One of the major stories of 2010 has been turmoil in the euro zone, as crumbling public finances in Greece have stoked fears of a “contagion effect” sweeping throughout the region. The prolonged economic downturn has left Greece with a massive budget deficit, and with $28 billion in debt due in April and May, fears of a default have soared in recent weeks. The government’s plans to rein in the deficit–including pay cuts, bonus freezes, and some hefty tax hikes–have met stiff resistance, as evidenced by the recent strikes from civil servants. [click to continue…]
As the U.S. dollar slid in recent months, one of the primary beneficiaries has been the euro, which had surged to the key $1.50 level relative to the dollar as worries about prolonged periods of low interest rates in the U.S. and the greenback’s future as the default reserve currency created a perfect storm around the greenback. But now the tables have turned, and the euro has been hit by a succession of negative developments that have erased months of gains in a few sessions. [click to continue…]
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 [...]
Perhaps you’ve noticed that many of the investment vehicles in the ETF industry are technically referred to as exchange-traded notes, or ETNs. While ETNs are similar to ETFs in many ways, there are also some key differences that should be considered before investing.
