ETF Database » EWK

Ten ETFs No One Is Thankful For

Stoyan Bojinov — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:00:28 +0000

The ETF industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the last five years and innovation across products has brought forth a multitude of previously inaccessible investment strategies to mainstream investors. Aside from the vast expansion in the exchange-traded product universe, the last five years have been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. Global financial markets witnessed an unprecedented economic downturn after the collapse of the U.S. housing market, only to stage a truly remarkable recovery in the years following. There are now more than 1,350 ETPs available on the market, most of which are relatively new introductions to investors. Those with longer track records have endured some severe losses in recent years, putting a significant dent in many portfolios; of the 330 or so available prior to November 2006, close to half have delivered negative returns. Amidst the chaos in the markets in recent years, some exchange-traded products [...]

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ETF Insider: No Stopping Gold

Stoyan Bojinov — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:00:43 +0000

Financial worries at home surrounding the debt-ceiling coupled with a downgrade of Ireland’s credit quality into junk territory overshadowed the start of corporate earnings seasons on Wall Street. Uncertainty and general pessimism pushed investors into the “safer” corner of the market and gold emerged strongest. The yellow precious metal hit record highs on Thursday as August futures prices reached $1,594 an ounce. Strong profits from Citigroup and Google helped equity markets end the week on a positive note, however, equity indexes broadly finished in red territory for the week with the S&P 500 down 2%. On tap next week are more earnings reports from industry giants and our model ETF portfolios are positioned to regain some lost ground amidst the recent volatility on Wall Street and around the globe. Actionable ETF Trade Ideas Earnings season is upon us and unfortunately equity markets remain largely driven by headlines. Our picks from [...]

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ETF Insider: Bernanke Speaks, Markets Cheer

Stoyan Bojinov — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:00:19 +0000

Wall Street started the week in red territory as European debt woes stole the headlines and put investors in a gloomy mood. Investors are very fearful that Italy’s financial health is seriously deteriorating, and if no grand solutions are conceived in a timely manner, then it might be too late to bail out the country if it comes down to it. As expected, gold opened higher to start the week and the precious metal continues to climb, managing to post gains every single trading session since July 4th, 2011. Tuesday was a fairly quiet day for the markets as investors digested the first round of corporate earnings reports. Alcoa’s earnings slightly missed analyst expectations; however, the aluminum giant did post impressive revenues as well as offer positive forward-looking guidance. The real action started a few hours before the closing bell as equities sold-off following Moody’s most recent downgrade of Ireland, [...]

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ETF Insider: Bullish Abroad, Defensive At Home

Stoyan Bojinov — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:17:26 +0000

Domestic equities were shaky last week to say the least, managing to rally on Thursday and immediately sell-off on Friday following a very dismal employment report. Gold emerged as the strongest asset class, while crude oil futures fluctuated wildly much like equity markets across the globe. Earnings season officially starts this week and we are cautiously optimistic that companies will surpass market expectations, although a strengthening dollar could create headwinds. Our trade recommendations for this week are geared towards international exposure and one of our picks is very appealing from both a technical and fundamental perspective, making it a potentially attractive tactical tool for traders. Weekly Outlook The coming week will be anything but sparse of headlines as investors keep a close eye on the markets once Alcoa Inc. kicks off earnings season after the market closes on Monday. Corporate earnings will be the central focus in the next coming [...]

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Ten iShares ETFs Every Investor Should Know (But Most Don’t)

Michael Johnston — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:38:48 +0000

San Francisco-based iShares, which was acquired by BlackRock from Barclays last year, has more than 180 U.S.-listed ETFs. But the distribution of assets is far from even across these funds. At the end of 2009, the ten largest iShares ETFs–only about five percent of the issuer’s product line–accounted for 50% of total assets. So there’s obviously a lot more to the iShares product line than the handful of mega-tickers–IVV, EFA, TIP, and AGG, just to name a few–that every ETF investor knows. Below, we highlight ten iShares ETFs that may deserve a closer look for inclusion in your portfolio. 10. Russell MicroCap Index Fund (IWC) While virtually every investor has exposure to large and mega cap stocks, the same cannot be said for the smaller end of the the spectrum. These securities, which tend to fall into a market capitalization range of between $50 and $550 million, only comprise 3% [...]

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Will Stimulus Unwinding Crush Europe ETFs?

Michael Johnston — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:31:59 +0000

In an unexpected development, the European Central Bank announced Friday that it will tighten the standards under which it accepts asset-backed securities as collateral from banks for refinancing tenders after March 1. While this step seems relatively minor, analysts viewed its as the first step towards unwinding the massive stimulus plans put into effect to save the struggling financial system in the wake of the global credit crisis. Following the collapse of Lehman last year, the ECB enacted several measures to ensure that banks maintained access to credit as traditional sources dried up. One of these moves was allowing bonds with lower credit ratings to be used as collateral, a response to the significant erosion in many existing securities due to the financial crisis. Under this initiative, ABS are eligible to be used as collateral if they were 1) rated AAA at time of issuance and 2) have one current [...]

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ETF Plays For The End Of Europe’s Recession

Michael Johnston — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:30:39 +0000

Thanks to strong economic recoveries in Germany and France, the 16-country euro zone has now officially exited its worst recession in a half century. According to data released on Friday, the euro zone grew by 0.4% in the third quarter, compared with a 0.2% decline in the second quarter. Although the news strengthened hopes of a sustained global recovery, many European economies continue to contract, facing strong headwinds on their recovery track. While the official end to the recession is welcome news, the economic woes of the continent have not disappeared altogether. Several nations, most notably England, Ireland, and Spain, remain mired in pronounced and prolonged downturns. Even in Germany, which posted a 0.7% gain in GDP, unemployment is expected to increase as the government eases off of programs that have subsidized short-hours shifts at German companies. Last week, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that “the problems will become bigger before [...]

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Germany ETF Surges On Election News

Michael Johnston — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:00:04 +0000

Over the weekend in Germany, an alliance between the conservative Christian Democratic Union and the pro-business Free Democratic Party claimed a majority in Germany’s lower house of Parliament that could set the stage for slashes to government spending and income taxes. German Chancellor Angela Merkel now has a partner who supports implementing tax cuts, not massive government spending, to spur economic growth. The FDP also shares Merkel’s desire to ease back on laws protecting workers from dismissal and establish a national minimum wage. The new government is expected to replace an uneasy alliance between the right-leaning CDU and the left-leaning Social Democratic Party. The FDP is expected to contribute to improved relations with major allies, including the U.S. through its support of a continued German presence in Afghanistan. But the biggest impact of the elections is expected to be felt in the business world. “Germany’s general election has delivered a [...]

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Europe ETFs: All Over The Board

Michael Johnston — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:24:20 +0000

Over the past several months, concerns over the fallout from the massive stimulus plans, rising unemployment, and continued weakness in corporate earnings have left many investors rethinking their allocations to U.S. equities. Once considered an essential element of any portfolio, American stocks have fallen out of favor with some investors who have shifted assets towards emerging markets and other regions (the number of ex-U.S. ETFs available is a testament to this trend). For investors disillusioned with prospects for American markets but unwilling to take on the risk inherent in emerging and frontier market funds, Europe may present an appealing option. Although the region has its share of economic turmoil (Ireland and the UK have been hit particularly hard), many investors believe the region’s economic prospects are much brighter than those of the U.S. And with green shoots now appearing throughout Europe, these ETFs may become more popular among U.S. investors [...]

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ETF Database » EWK

Ten ETFs No One Is Thankful For

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ETF Insider: No Stopping Gold

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ETF Insider: Bernanke Speaks, Markets Cheer

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ETF Insider: Bullish Abroad, Defensive At Home

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Ten iShares ETFs Every Investor Should Know (But Most Don’t)

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Will Stimulus Unwinding Crush Europe ETFs?

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ETF Plays For The End Of Europe’s Recession

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Germany ETF Surges On Election News

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Europe ETFs: All Over The Board

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