Since the economic recovery began, many investors have looked to Asia to drive growth and stimulate global demand. China has grabbed most of the headlines, as tremendous growth in the world’s most populous nation has essentially pulled this emerging market into a tie with Japan as the world’s second-largest economy. In recent weeks, uncertainty over China’s next monetary policy moves caused turmoil in global equity markets, an indication of the influence that the country now holds over the global economy. This economic influence has perhaps translated into increased political clout as well: many global leaders, including president Obama, have been criticized for their reluctance to push China on issues such as human rights and currency devaluation. [click to continue…]
Boston-based Old Mutual Global Index Trackers has launched its first ETF, listing the GlobalShares FTSE Emerging Markets Index Fund (GSR) on the NYSE Arca Exchange Tuesday. In order to compete in an increasingly crowded space, Old Mutual has thrown in an interesting twist: for a limited time, GSR will have an expense ratio of zero basis points, making it the first ETF listed under a “Zero Fee, Zero Cost” arrangement. [click to continue…]
Much has been made of the growth of the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. But the fact remains that despite their impressive growth rates, all of these countries remain very poor relative to the developed world. For example, in the People’s Republic of China, more than one third of the population lives [...]
With the third quarter drawing to a close and a possible economic recovery beginning to take place, many investors who have been sitting on the sidelines are anxious to get back into the market and put their money to work again. With overriding fears about inflation and concerns about the U.S. dollar, many investors are [...]
There can be little debate that China’s economy has made tremendous progress over the last decade, implementing market reforms that have brought the world’s most populous nation closer to “developed” status. But there are many areas of China’s economy that remain far behind those of western Europe and the U.S. The slow development of China’s [...]
After growing at a torrid pace in 2008, the ETF industry had showed signs of slowing down through the first four months of 2009. But May represented a return to old form, with more than $14 billion in new assets flowing into ETFs during the month according to Morningstar, the largest monthly inflow of the [...]
