ETF Database » EWX

Saving For College, ETF Style: An ETF-Friendly 529 Plan

Michael Johnston — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:00:43 +0000

The ETF industry has been routinely praised for its innovation over the last several years, which is no doubt a contributing factor to the surge in interest and assets. Generally, reference to such innovation relates to the growth in the product lineup, as issuers of all sizes have launched a number of creative, first-to-market products over the past few years that have dramatically opened up the asset classes and investment strategies available through the exchange-traded structures [see also Free Report: How To Pick The Right ETF Every Time]. But there are other aspects of the industry that deserve credit for exciting new developments as well. While ETFs are still hard to find in most 401(k) account and other retirement plans, they are now readily accessible in a popular college savings account; a program from State Street allows new parents to use ETFs in a college savings plan for children, through an [...]

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Two More AlphaDEX ETFs Begin Trading

Michael Johnston — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:00:08 +0000

First Trust launched two more international AlphaDEX ETFs this week, on the heels of the debut of seven country-specific funds that employ the proprietary stock selection methodology [see AlphaDEX ETFdb Portfolio]. The new ETFs will offer broad exposure to emerging and developed markets outside the U.S., focusing specifically on small cap stocks in those segments: Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FEMS) Developed Markets ex-U.S. Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FDTS) Last year, First Trust debuted ETFs targeting these same markets that generally focus on larger companies. The First Trust Emerging Markets AlphaDEX (FEM) has assets of about $43 million, while the Developed Markets ex-U.S. AlphaDEX Fund (FDT) has about $33 million. Both of those ETFs started trading in April 2011. Under The Hood FEMS is linked to the Defined Emerging Markets Small Cap Index, a benchmark that selects small cap emerging markets stocks based on their score on a variety [...]

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Tax Efficiency Report Card

Daniela Pylypczak — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:24 +0000

The year-end periods provides the ETF industry with a couple of opportunities to flex its collective muscle; performance comparisons generally tend to favor those products with lower expense ratios–a defining feature of exchange-traded funds. But early January also puts another benefit of exchange-traded products into focus: enhanced tax efficiency relative to traditional mutual funds. The nuances of the exchange-traded structure have the potential to bring additional tax efficiencies to investors thanks to the availability of an “in kind redemption” that ultimately gives investors more control over the timing of tax obligations. Mutual funds, on the other hand, have a nasty tendency to stick remaining shareholders with tax liabilities incurred as a result of redemptions by others–a development that can obviously be undesirable [see Tax Loss Harvesting With ETFs: 6 Ideas To Lower Client Liabilities]. ETFs won’t allow investors to skip out on their taxes, but this product structure can deliver [...]

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Ten New Year’s Resolutions For ETF Investors

Michael Johnston — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:00:07 +0000

For most investors, 2011 was a frustrating year; after some strong early gains seemingly pointed to a continuation of the recovery that took root in 2010, the appearance of some major obstacles sent many major indexes back towards negative territory. The impressive late December rally closed the year on a high note, but there is no doubt room for improvement in 2012 as many attempt to return their portfolios to pre-recession valuations. The continued innovation and growth in the ETF industry in 2011 has given investors more tools in the toolkit than ever before, and it has made easier to maintain portfolios of all degrees of sophistication using only exchange-traded products. For those looking to take more control over their portfolios in the new year, we highlight ten tips that can enhance your ETF experience and help you get the most out of the robust lineup of exchange-traded products [sign [...]

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Emerging Markets ETFs: Five Factors To Consider

Michael Johnston — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:55:25 +0000

A quick look at the headlines on any given day is generally enough to explain why investors have been shifting greater percentages of their long-term portfolios towards emerging markets in recent years. The U.S. is grappling with elevated unemployment, and faces a regulatory gridlock that is creating undesirable tax uncertainty. Europe has been unable to address a spreading debt crisis that is now threatening the very survival of the currency and seems likely to eventually cause billions in sovereign defaults. Japan, though showing some signs of life, is still mired in a decades long slump that has only been exacerbated by natural disasters. While advanced economies are facing some stiff headwinds, emerging markets continue to expand their presence on the global economic stage and ride demographic tailwinds to a red hot rate of GDP growth. The Chinas and Indias of the world certainly have their fair share of issues; inflation [...]

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iShares Debuts Small Cap Emerging Markets ETF (EEMS)

Michael Johnston — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:30:58 +0000

iShares, the market leader in the U.S. ETF industry, rolled out a complement to its ultra-popular MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund (EEM) on Thursday. The recently launched MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index Fund (EEMS) will offer exposure to small cap companies in developing economies by seeking to replicate an index comprised of stocks that represent approximately the bottom 14% of market cap. The underlying index consists of approximately 675 stocks from 21 different emerging market economies. The largest country allocations go to Taiwan (20%) and South Korea (17%), with Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong, India, South Africa, Brazil, Malaysia, and Indonesia also receiving significant weightings. Small Cap EM ETFs EEMS isn’t the first ETF to focus on small cap stocks in emerging markets. State Street launched its S&P Emerging Markets Small Cap ETF (EWX) more than three years ago, and WisdomTree also offers an Emerging Markets SmallCap Fund [...]

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Not Just EEM & VWO: Emerging Markets ETF Options

Michael Johnston — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:00:12 +0000

The developments of the last several years have highlighted the growing gap between the developed and emerging markets of the world. Advanced economies in North America, Europe, and Asia face mounting debt burdens and the prospect of a prolonged stretch of low economic growth. Meanwhile, many emerging markets have raced ahead, boasting blistering GDP growth and impressive fiscal health. So it is by no means surprising that many U.S. investors have shifted their portfolios more heavily towards emerging markets, embracing this asset class as a source of greater long-term growth potential and perhaps lower risk as well. As interest in emerging markets has soared, more and more investors have embraced ETFs as a way to access this increasingly important asset class; the combination of emerging markets and the transparency and efficiencies of the exchange-traded structure has obvious appeal to anyone building a long-term portfolio. By far the two most popular [...]

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Van Eck Debuts Small Cap Russia ETF (RSXJ)

Michael Johnston — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:55:50 +0000

Today marks the first day of trading for the Market Vectors Russia Small-Cap ETF (RSXJ), the first exchange-traded product offering U.S. investors exposure to small cap Russian stocks. The new fund from Van Eck will seek to replicate the performance of the Market Vectors Russia Small-Cap Index, a benchmark that includes about 35 small cap Russian stocks. The underlying components are unlikely to be familiar to many U.S. investors; the largest individual weightings are afforded to Pharmstandar, (8%), LSR Group (7.9%), and O’Key Group (6.8%). Small Cap Difference RSXJ joins three existing Russia ETFs, the most popular of which is a Market Vectors fund (RSX) with nearly $4 billion in AUM. The Market Vectors Russia ETF offers exposure primarily to large cap firms; about 95% of the underlying index is firms with a market capitalization in excess of $5 billion, with the remainder attributable to firms between $1 billion and [...]

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Van Eck Plans Small Cap Emerging Markets, CEF ETFs

Michael Johnston — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:00:27 +0000

Van Eck, the New York City-based issuer known in the ETF world for funds offering exposure to hard assets and emerging markets, continues to get creative in its product development efforts. In recent SEC filings the company detailed plans for a small cap emerging markets ETF and an ETF that invests in closed-end funds, putting twists on existing products offered by State Street and PowerShares. The Market Vectors GDP – Emerging Markets Small-Cap Equity ETF would seek to replicate an index consisting of small cap emerging market stocks. The proposed Van Eck fund would be similar to the SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Small Cap ETF (EWX), though some nuances of the underlying indexes would result in different risk/return profiles. The Market Vectors fund would be linked to an index that weights individual countries based on GDP relative to other economies in the portfolio. So China would presumably receive the largest [...]

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Does South Korea Belong In Your Emerging Markets ETF?

Eric Dutram — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:00:38 +0000

When considering the equity allocation of an investor portfolio, perhaps the most common bifurcation made is between developed and emerging markets. The distinction between developed and emerging markets has become a hot topic in recent years thanks to the tremendous gaps in growth and risk between the two groups. As developed markets have struggled to get on track thanks to mounting debt burdens and rising unemployment, emerging markets have raced ahead and posted eye-popping growth figures thanks to favorable demographic shifts and a swelling middle class. To many investors the distinction between these two asset classes may seem straightforward. Developed markets are advanced economies with higher quality of life, sophisticated financial markets, and generally wealthier populations—such as the U.S. and Western Europe. Emerging economies are home to financial markets with fewer investor protections and standardized processes and to populations that tend to be less educated and more rural. But determining [...]

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ETF Database » EWX

Saving For College, ETF Style: An ETF-Friendly 529 Plan

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Two More AlphaDEX ETFs Begin Trading

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Tax Efficiency Report Card

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Ten New Year’s Resolutions For ETF Investors

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Emerging Markets ETFs: Five Factors To Consider

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iShares Debuts Small Cap Emerging Markets ETF (EEMS)

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Not Just EEM & VWO: Emerging Markets ETF Options

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Van Eck Debuts Small Cap Russia ETF (RSXJ)

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Van Eck Plans Small Cap Emerging Markets, CEF ETFs

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Does South Korea Belong In Your Emerging Markets ETF?

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