Tuesday opens what investors hope will be the eighth consecutive monthly increase for the Dow, as risky asset classes have continued to tack higher in recent weeks despite some Euro zone jitters and concerns about slowing job growth in the U.S. As May Day rallies were carried out across Europe in a new era of austerity, market remained relatively flat throughout the day there.
Australian stocks and the Aussie dollar saw significant activity on Tuesday after the Australian central bank announced a hefty half point rate cut for the struggling Australian economy, which has seen its currency surge against major rivals in recent months. The iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund (EWA) was up slightly on the news, with the exchange rate impact preventing a more substantial gain. The CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust (FXA) plummeted by more than 1% on news of the large rate cut. FXA is still well into positive territory for the year, with the underlying currency having appreciated materially against the greenback.
The IQ Australia Small Cap ETF (KROO), which holds smaller Australian stocks and makes a bigger allocation to commodity producing stocks, slid by about 0.8% to open the day. [click to continue…]
Bullish euphoria bolstered equity markets higher last week as better-than-expected economic data stole the headlines. Investors were more than happy to see a big jump in consumer confidence as well as an encouraging GDP report, both of which boosted confidence in the recovery. The biggest surprise on Wall Street was Ben Bernanke’s testimony before Congress; [...]
First Trust announced the introduction of seven new single country international ETFs, dramatically expanding its lineup of international equity funds. Each of the new ETFs will be linked to indexes that utilize the AlphaDEX methodology that is used in a number of existing First Trust ETFs. The new ETFs are:
The past few months have had all eyes fixated on the euro zone and whether or not the currency bloc would be able to withstand its looming debt crisis. Despite a recent Greek debt deal, you can almost certainly bet that this issue is far from over, as it has been lingering around markets for almost two [...]
Equity indexes endured another volatile week as persistent Euro zone debt woes paved the way for profit-taking across virtually every segment of the market. Investor worries over the debt crisis brewing overseas overshadowed positive economic data releases on the home front, including better-than-expected retail sales, new home starts, jobless claims, and industrial production. Fundamental investors [...]
Equity markets remain plagued with volatility as Euro zone debt woes weigh down on investors’ confidence. Uncertainty stemming from the debt burdened currency bloc continues to dominate headlines all over the globe as investors anxiously await for EU leaders to bring forth a comprehensive plan that ensures the region won’t succumb to a potentially devastating [...]
After another up-down week dominated by Euro zone debt drama, domestic equity indexes managed to clinch a gain amidst the volatility. Investor sentiment swayed wildly as the anticipation of Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi’s resignation coupled with ongoing Italian debt woes sparked sell-offs one day and rallies the next, across virtually every corner of the global [...]
Financial markets saw a whirlwind of activity last week as Euro zone debt woes swayed investor sentiment from euphoric to fearful. Equity markets came under serious selling pressures after news of a Greek referendum reignited default fears. Confidence in the currency bloc quickly returned however as the Greeks rescinded their referendum and bullish investors were [...]
Last week was turbulent one for equities as the Greek debt situation dominated headlines. The week opened up on a dismal note as the news came that a Greek referendum was in place in regards to the planned bailout package. Equities tanked for the following two days, only to recover on the Fed’s comments, or [...]
WisdomTree, the issuer behind a number of popular international debt ETFs, followed through today on the previously announced conversion of its Dreyfus New Zealand Dollar Fund (previously traded under the ticker BNZ) to the Australian & New Zealand Debt Fund (AUNZ). The revised fund will continue to be actively managed, with the investment objective changing [...]
Wall Street was able to close out the week in solid positive territory, although investor worries remain escalated over the uncertainty still plaguing the debt-stricken Euro zone. Waves of optimism and improvements in investor confidence, following a better-than-expected employment report at home, helped stocks climb higher last week. Gold prices remain range-bound although the yellow [...]
