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ETFs To Play AAA Europe

Michael Johnston — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:49 +0000

As most investors are painfully aware at this point, Europe is not in the best of fiscal shape at present. The continent is in the midst of a prolonged debt crisis that is now threatening the continued existence of the euro, and has transformed the region into a form of portfolio Kryptonite; most investors won’t go anywhere near it. Much of the attention has focused on the handful of countries that maintain massive debt burdens that continue to grow, such as Ireland, Spain, and Italy. As the likelihood that these countries will be able to repay their debts deteriorates, their stocks markets have been beaten down as international investors have fled to calmer markets [see Euro Free Europe ETFdb Portfolio]. And unfortunately, the debt crisis is hardly an isolated incident; a number of European economies, including several fairly large components, are struggling mightily to stay afloat. Many European markets have [...]

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Best ETF Performers Of 2010: Winners For Every ETFdb Category

Michael Johnston — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:00:23 +0000

Last year was a good year for most asset classes, as investor portfolios continued to recover from the recent recession. The difference in performance between many comparable funds was significant, and many of the best performers of 2010 are relatively small funds that maintain considerably smaller asset bases than their more popular competitors. Below, we profiled the top performing ETFs in more than 60 ETFdb Categories covering all major asset classes. ETFs that launched in 2010 were excluded, as were those that stopped trading during the year [for more ETF insights, sign up for our free ETF newsletter]: Equity ETFs Many equity ETFs turned impressive performances in 2010; below, we profile the best of the best: All Cap Equities: The First Trust Multi CG AlphaDex (FAD) added 25.2% last year, besting the more popular VTI (up 17.4%) and IWV (up 16.8%) by a wide margin. Large Cap Blend Equities: The [...]

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ETFs To Invest In The Three Most Competitive Countries In The World

Eric Dutram — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:44:09 +0000

Earlier today the World Economic Forum released its yearly Global Competitiveness Report, which ranks 139 countries in the world on a variety of factors the Forum believes determines the level of productivity of a country, including the set of institutions, policies, and government programs. The Forum believes that this rate of productivity “sets the sustainable level of prosperity that can be earned by an economy. In other words, more competitive economies tend to be able to produce higher levels of income for their citizens.” Not surprisingly, the countries at the top of the list tend to be rich, market-driven economies known for solid business practices or world-class institutions that give them competitive advantages over their regional rivals. The rankings are calculated from both publicly available data and the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum together with its network of Partner Institutes (leading research [...]

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Three ETFs To Watch This Week: EWD, LIT, FXE

Eric Dutram — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:00:48 +0000

Equity markets started off in the red on last Monday and continued their downward trend on Tuesday after dismal housing data showed existing home sales plunged by more than 20% as buyers shied away from the market now that the tax credit for new purchases has expired. This news, compounded with new home sales on Wednesday (which sank 12.4% to their lowest level since the government began keeping track of the statistic in 1963), led many to believe that a double dip in housing was just around the corner. This spike in anxiety sent shocks through global equity markets and had investors running to the relative safety of Treasury bills and precious metals. Salvaging the week, equity markets surged higher on Friday thanks to comments from Bernanke that seemed to suggest the Fed would be willing to do anything in its power to try to boost the economy and reduce [...]

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Sweden ETF: Bright Spot In Troubled Europe

Jared Cummans — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:30:33 +0000

European equities have faced a tough stretch throughout 2010, as storm clouds brought on by unprecedented debt crises have yet to disperse. With drivers of GDP growth facing significant hurdles, many investors have pulled assets out of the beleaguered continent, selling off euro-denominated assets on their way to safe havens. Mounting debt balances and disparate economic outlooks have the euro zone facing the most severe crisis in its relatively short history. Unfortunately for the rest of Europe, all of the 27 nations in the European Union have been financially quarantined in the minds of investors, though only 16 of them have adopted the euro. Those countries that have maintained currency independence find themselves with valuable flexibility in the current environment. And while equity markets have been hammered by general risk aversion, some non-euro European economies offer bright outlooks, making them potentially intriguing investment options. Perhaps the strongest country to emerge [...]

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Non-Euro Europe ETF Options

Jared Cummans — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:55:19 +0000

Milton Friedman may no longer be with us, but the legend of the Nobel Prize winner has continued to build. Before his death in late 2006, Friedman predicted that the euro, one of the world’s most widely-used currencies, would not be able to withstand its first economic crisis. With much of Europe teetering on brink of fiscal collapse, the viability of the region’s common currency system has been called into question by economists around the globe. Since the inception of the euro in early 1999, sixteen countries have adopted the currency. Many recent entrants into the monetary union have celebrated their inclusion, hoping for membership to bring along substantial economic benefits. However, in the current environment, the euro has often acted as a drag on economic growth. International investors have been hesitant to invest in euro-denominated assets, worrying that structural weaknesses in the currency will eat into returns and undermine [...]

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Hardest Hit Europe ETFs From The First Half Of 2010

Eric Dutram — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:41:58 +0000

Just when many investors thought that the world economy was finally back on track, European debt markets were rocked by a crisis of confidence that sparked fresh concerns of a double dip recession and prolonged period of economic contraction. The sovereign debt crisis began earlier this year in Greece, but in recent months has been threatening to spread to much larger economies across Europe, including Italy and Spain. These countries, along with Portugal and Ireland, have seen sharp increases in unemployment and a push towards austerity as a way to combat rising concerns over high budget deficits. While it appears that most economies will scrape through this crisis without resorting to default, the increase in anxiety has sent markets tumbling nonetheless. The worst damage has been done closest to the eye of the storm; almost all of the ETFs in the Europe Equities ETFdb Category are down on the year, [...]

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ETF Ideas For An “Ex-Europe” Portfolio

Michael Johnston — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:44:12 +0000

When the long-simmering debt crisis in Europe finally boiled over last week, chaos ripped through global equity markets. But the worst of the damage was done at the center of the storm, with many European equity markets plunging more than 10% on the week. Although most markets clawed back the ground lost with a sharp rebound on Monday, many are convinced that the worst is yet to come. With the future of the euro far from certain and expectations of ongoing instability in Europe, many investors have begun looking for ways to scale back exposure to European equities. While many investors have defaulted to selling Europe and buying the U.S., others are hesitant to establish a big concentration in a region that, by many measures, isn’t much better off than Greece. Fortunately, for investors in search of options that are 1) ex-U.S., 2) ex-Europe, and 3) developed markets, there are [...]

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Three ETF Plays For Euro/Dollar Parity

Eric Dutram — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:35:12 +0000

The tumultuous last week has sent a shock wave through global equity markets, with major indexes slumping as a wave of risk aversion crashed over investors. The worst of the fallout from the deteriorating situation in Greece was felt closest to the eye of the storm, as European markets plummeted and investors sought to sell anything denominated in euro. Thus far in 2010, ETFs in our European Equity ETFdb Category are down on average 15.5%. Leading on the downside are the iShares MSCI Spain Index (EWP: down 29.9%), iShares MSCI Italy Index Fund (EWI: down 26.3%), and SPDR DJ STOXX 50 ETF (FEU: down 23.9%). Exacerbating the weakness in stock prices is a crumbling currency; the euro has plunged against major rivals over the last week. While some are hoping that the worst has passed for the troubled region after the large bailout was approved by the euro zone and [...]

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Inside The Europe ETF That Hasn’t Plummeted

Michael Johnston — Thu, 06 May 2010 15:24:57 +0000

Since the beginning of the year, most European equity ETFs have gradually sunk deeper and deeper into the red, as concerns about mounting government debts and ratings downgrades have rippled throughout the continent. Of the ETFs included in the Europe Equities ETFdb Category, all but two are in negative territory on the year, with some losing more than 20% year-to-date. But not all European investments have headed south this year; as profiled earlier this year, ETFs based on Nordic countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Norway have bucked the trend, distancing themselves from their European neighbors and continuing attract investors (see Six ETFs To Watch As The Greek Drama Unfolds). Focus on Euro Zone The iShares MSCI Sweden Index Fund (EWD) was recently up about 3% on the year, while the Global X FTSE Nordic 30 ETF (GXF) has gained 1% in 2010. In contrast, the Vanguard European ETF (VGK) has lost [...]

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ETF Database » EWD

ETFs To Play AAA Europe

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Best ETF Performers Of 2010: Winners For Every ETFdb Category

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ETFs To Invest In The Three Most Competitive Countries In The World

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Three ETFs To Watch This Week: EWD, LIT, FXE

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Sweden ETF: Bright Spot In Troubled Europe

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Non-Euro Europe ETF Options

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Hardest Hit Europe ETFs From The First Half Of 2010

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ETF Ideas For An “Ex-Europe” Portfolio

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Three ETF Plays For Euro/Dollar Parity

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Inside The Europe ETF That Hasn’t Plummeted

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