With snow now blanketing a big part of the country and 2012 just a few weeks away, looking back at the past year becomes a popular activity. For many portfolios, 2011 has been marked by big swings that seem to be leaving investors right about where they started; there has been plenty of activity over the last 11 months, but little to show for it in way of returns.
Like many others, we put forth a list of actionable ETF ideas that we believed were positioned to perform well in 2011 at the end of last year, laying out the investment thesis behind 11 exchange-traded products that we thought would thrive this year. With 2011 coming to a close, it’s time to take a look back at our predictions for this year, noting some big wins and lamenting a few calls [see 11 Rapid Fire ETF Ideas For 2011]: [click to continue…]
As ETFs have burst on to the scene in recent years, just about every serious investor and professional money manager has taken a crash course in exchange-traded products, becoming familiar with the countless benefits and nuances of these products. Features such as enhanced transparency, upgraded tax efficiency, and low costs are generally well known at [...]
Investors poured into U.S. Treasuries last week as far worse than expected economic data from the manufacturing and housing sectors sent waves of anxiety through equity markets both in the U.S. and abroad. Surprisingly enough, amidst all the chaos even gold failed to climb much higher and the precious metal closed just above $1,540 for [...]
PowerShares and Deutsche Bank have rolled out two exchange-traded notes that give investors additional options for expressing their outlook on the performance of the U.S. dollar against its major developed market rivals. The two new ETNs are linked to an index that consists of U.S. Dollar Index Futures, which reflect the performance of the greenback [...]
Last weeks developments in the Middle East once again captured the attention of investors, as escalations of protests and violence in Libya sent oil on a wild ride over the course of several days. The impact of the geopolitical tensions seem unlikely to ease at any point in the near future; while the unrest is [...]
Last week saw the end of a year that was relatively kind to investor portfolios, as most major asset classes managed to post strong results in 2010. As the calendars flip to 2011, the outlook remains uncertain; lingering obstacles in the form of high unemployment and bloated debt loads certainly pose problems, but rapidly-expanding emerging [...]
It seems like ages ago that the future of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency was in serious doubt, with the euro being held out as one viable replacement. But with Greece on the brink of a fiscal collapse and several major European economies struggling to reel in ballooning budget deficits, it is [...]
Michael Johnston, senior analyst for ETF Database appeared on live television earlier today to discuss the rally of the US Dollar. ADZ, DDP, DGZ, EUO, UUP, and YCS are some of the ETFs that have been affected. Watch the complete interview at BNN.
More much of the second half of 2009, one of the overarching themes has been continued weakness in the U.S. dollar, as a perfect storm of economic and political factors combined to push the greenback continually lower against major rivals. But once the calendar turned to December, the tables turned as well, and the U.S. [...]
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 [...]
