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Seven Surprising ETF Holdings: Why Investors Should Always Look Under The Hood

Michael Johnston — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:00:06 +0000

The old adage “never judge a book by its cover” has been applied to a wide variety of situations over the years, from encouraging open mindedness in social situations to shopping for a car to, well, judging books by their covers. And it turns out this piece of advice can be quite valuable for investors as well, especially those who have embraced ETFs as tools for building long-term portfolios or establishing short-term tactical tilts. For investors who wish to take a longer look under the hood of a product, the transparency offered by ETFs allows them to do just that; most products publish a complete list of holdings on a nightly basis, allowing for a complete review of components that isn’t possible with mutual funds and various other types of securities. In most cases, the holdings of an ETF are fairly predictable; most investors could guess the primary components of [...]

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Highlighting The PIIGS ETFs

Michael Johnston — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:00:45 +0000

While reports of jobless rates in the U.S. or the pace of inflation in China occasionally pop to the top of the headlines, the last several months have seen the spotlight focused on European markets as the continent continues to battle a debt crisis that has threatened to derail a fragile economic recovery. While the fiscal woes have been felt throughout Europe, the impact has not been felt evenly. Some of the more financially stable markets, such as Germany, have held up quite well; the euro’s weakness has actually given a boost to export-driven markets whose goods have become more attractively priced to foreign buyers. At the opposite end of the risk spectrum from the relatively stable Germany, is the PIIGS group of economies that has emerged as a threat to bring down the entire euro zone. This group, which includes Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain, are all facing [...]

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ETF Winners, Losers From State Of The Union

Michael Johnston — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:30:50 +0000

Since Woodrow Wilson re-instituted the practice of delivering the State of the Union Address in person in 1913, the annual event has evolved dramatically. The introduction of radio and television brought the presidential speech into millions of households, attracting increased interest and, of course, increased scrutiny. Thanks to the proliferation of 24 hour news networks and the realization that politics sells ad slots, the address has now become a major event surrounded on both sides by days of speculation, analysis, and rebuttals. While the annual event presents an opportunity to look back at recent accomplishments, it also serves as a platform to launch initiatives that can shape the country’s regulatory environment and structure of the U.S. economy. And while the ideas lobbed out during the State of the Union won’t necessarily translate into policy shifts and fulfilled promises (some would argue that they hardly ever do), an unveiling of the [...]

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Ten Worst Performing ETFs Of 2010

Michael Johnston — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:00:54 +0000

In general, 2010 has been a pretty solid year for most portfolios. Despite lingering concerns about unemployment and mounting debt burdens, most global equity markets have moved higher on the year. Commodity markets have been red hot, with prices of many natural resources climbing to new highs thanks to strong demand from emerging markets and a shaky dollar. And while bonds have shown exceptional volatility during the last 12 months, many fixed income securities have managed to deliver at least modest gains as well. But there have, of course, been some disappointments this year as well. Below, we offer up some potential inspiration for contrarian investors: a list of ten of the worst performing ETFs of 2010. Performance data is as of December 21, and this list excludes all leveraged and inverse funds, as well as any ETFs that began trading during the year: 10. iPath EUR/USD Exchange Rate ETN [...]

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Gust Of Activity Puts Wind ETFs In Focus

Jared Cummans — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:00:04 +0000

Alternative energy has been a hot topic in recent years, as some have argued for aggressive adoption while others deem the policies and practices too expensive and feel that the world should let the market sort through the various ideas until a more cost-efficient way to implement the various clean energy methods presents itself. Earlier in 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, alternative energy was pushed back into the public eye, as the U.S. endured one of the worst environmental disasters in its history. But as the spill was cleaned up and oil prices trended lower, the push for more alternative energy subsided, at least in the eyes of the general public. Yet, behind the scenes, a number of alternative energy firms continue the push to implement more eco-friendly energy production methods [see also Rare Earth Metal Shortage Could Sink These Three ETFs]. Over [...]

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Alternative Energy ETFs In Focus: Google Bets On Wind Power

Eric Dutram — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:00:47 +0000

With oil prices held in check below the $80 mark until very recently, sluggish global growth has combined with decreasing alternative energy subsidies from cash-strapped governments to batter the alternative energy ETF market for much of 2010. While some broad based energy ETFs tracking the oil and gas sector have managed to pull themselves back into positive territory on the year, nearly all of the specialized funds targeting the alternative energy industry are still down more than 10% since the start of 2010. Even in this clean corner of the energy market there are large disparities among the different types of funds. While broad clean energy and solar power funds are generally down about 15% on the year, wind power ETFs have performed even worse, sinking by more than 30% year-to-date. However, with the dollar slumping and more quantitative easing likely to extend the downward trend in the near future, [...]

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Wind Energy ETFs Sink On Weak Outlook For Developed Markets

Eric Dutram — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:43:59 +0000

Through nearly eight months, 2010 has been an extremely rough year for energy ETFs, including both traditional oil and gas-focused funds as well as “greener” alternative energy products. Traditional energy ETFs have plummeted thanks in large part to the fallout from the Gulf oil spill, which has limited demand for many oil service firms and painted an uncertain regulatory picture. Meanwhile, alternative energy ETFs have seen generous subsidies cut by cash-strapped governments across the world as “austerity” became a new buzz word. Both sectors have also been battered by weak overall economic outlooks; the grim forecasts have helped to moderate oil prices, which in turn has taken some of the urgency out of the hunt for alternative fuel sources. Some alternative energy ETFs are down as much as 30% on the year. Unfortunately for wind power-focused funds in particular, this downward trend looks likely to continue well into the fall [...]

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Friday The 13th Special: Three Unlucky ETFs

Michael Johnston — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0000

As the summer months draw to a close, many ETFs find themselves in negative territory on the year; an extension of 2009′s magnificent rally has simply not materialized. Many of the disappointing performances from equity ETFs have been easy enough to explain, as scenarios that have played out countless times before have dragged down stocks. The Spain ETF (EWP), for example, has been pummeled by sky-high unemployment, an impossible budget situation, and the prospect of a a prolonged period of negligible real economic growth. Against that backdrop, it is not surprising that EWP has lost about 15% in 2010. Other ETFs, however, have simply run into some tough luck; events or relationships that few could have foreseen have dragged many popular funds lower in 2010. As another Friday the 13th rolls around, we profile a few ETFs that have experienced more than their fair share of bad luck this year [...]

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Why Clean Energy ETFs Are No Slam Dunk

Jared Cummans — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:11:34 +0000

It has been more than two months since an oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, setting off one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. The aftermath of the spill has called into question the very survival of British oil giant BP, and dealt a devastating blow to pension funds and other investors who had come to rely on the company’s dividend payment [see Seven ETFs For Investors Mourning The Death Of BP's Dividend]. But the fallout didn’t end with BP; a proposed moratorium on deep-water drilling threatens to shake up the industry and increased regulatory oversight seems inevitable. But there have also been a few winners from the spill. President Obama seized an opportunity earlier this month to jumpstart a campaign to reduce dependence on foreign oil and make the U.S. a leader in the global clean energy industry. Not surprisingly, his first Oval [...]

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Why GOOG Could Crush The Coal ETF

Michael Johnston — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:25:58 +0000

When Google announced earlier this month that it was making a nearly $40 million investment in two wind farms owned by NextEra Energy Resources, many investors were left scratching their heads. The Mountain View, California-based company is known for allowing its employees to pursue pet projects on company time, but a not-so-insignificant investment in wind turbines located in North Dakota seems like a stretch for the world’s largest search engine. Upon closer review, however, the wind power investment is right up Google’s alley, and its latest business venture could have some wide-ranging effects. The infrastructure behind the internet that has become a vital part of both personal professional lives around the globe is a great mystery to most users. Because the World Wide Web is so intangible in nature, few have given much consideration to the energy needed to power such a ubiquitous part of American life. “The digital photos, [...]

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ETF Database » FAN

Seven Surprising ETF Holdings: Why Investors Should Always Look Under The Hood

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Highlighting The PIIGS ETFs

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ETF Winners, Losers From State Of The Union

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Alternative Energy ETFs In Focus: Google Bets On Wind Power

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Wind Energy ETFs Sink On Weak Outlook For Developed Markets

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Friday The 13th Special: Three Unlucky ETFs

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Why Clean Energy ETFs Are No Slam Dunk

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