The universe of U.S.-listed ETFs has expanded at a record pace in 2011, with more than 300 new products beginning to trade. This year has also seen some contraction, as a number of different issuers have shuttered products that failed to generate interest from investors. IndexIQ is the latest to pare its lineup, as the company has announced it will close three of its international equity ETFs before the end of the year. The ETFs to be closed are: [click to continue…]
Recent economic developments have hammered equity ETFs around the world, as investors brace for the possibility of a double dip recession at the worst and lingering uncertainty over Europe at the best. One area hit especially hard has been China, which is trying to cool off its overheating economy by hiking rates and curtailing lending. [...]
Ever since the days of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek in the late 40′s and early 50′s, mainland China has had a strained relationship with Taiwan. In recent years, however, the economic ties between the regions have improved considerably. The recent economic crisis, as well as efforts from Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, have pushed the [...]
Taiwan’s central bank shocked investors on Thursday by announcing the first interest rate hike in nearly two years, a move reflecting increased confidence in country’s economic outlook. The Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan) raised key rates by a modest 12.5 basis points, moving the benchmark discount rate to 1.375%. “Guiding market rates [...]
ETFs have become popular among all walks of investors in part because of the granularity of exposure available; U.S. investors are able to access nearly every corner of the world through a single security. Before the advent of country-specific ETFs, many investors spread out their portfolios around the globe through broad-based global funds or stock [...]
IndexIQ announced on Tuesday the launch of the IQ Taiwan Small Cap ETF (TWON), the firm’s fourth product focusing on international small cap stocks. TWON will track the IQ Taiwan Small Cap Index, a cap-weighted benchmark that includes small cap companies domiciled and primarily listed on stock exchanges in Taiwan. The underlying index consists of [...]
Direxion, one of the leaders in the rapidly-expanding leveraged ETF space, has filed for approval on 36 new ETFs, including two non-leveraged products. The Direxion Auto Shares would seek to match the performance of the Indus Global Auto & Auto Suppliers Index, a benchmark that consists of approximately 30 companies engaged in the manufacturing, maintenance, [...]
In the wake of the most recent global economic downturn, there has been a monumental reshuffling atop the global totem pole. The emerging markets of the world have–well, emerged–as the clear leaders in a new global economy, returning to impressive growth rates as developed economies battle still-rising unemployment, deflation, fiscal crises, and a host of [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
