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5 ETF Plays For BlackRock’s 2013 Outlook

Stoyan Bojinov — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:00:32 +0000

The new year has been quite kind to equity markets, however, savvy investors have been reluctant to get too comfortable, given the largely uncertain global economic outlook. With 2012 in the history books, it’s that time of year again to peer into the future and devise strategies suited for the unpredictable road ahead. Financial behemoth BlackRock (BLK), also the parent of iShares ETPs, has laid out its 2013 outlook, citing several major themes that appear poised to have an impact on the investment landscape in the year ahead [see also Favorite ETF Positions For 5 Super Investors]. Last year was largely dominated by ultra-loose monetary policies from central banks around the globe, which begs the question — will 2013 be any different? In BlackRock’s 2013 Investment Outlook, the experts note that potential changes in ongoing stimulus measures are set to serve as major catalysts in shaping the economic landscape going [...]

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How To Play A Treasury Bubble With ETFs

Stoyan Bojinov — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:00:34 +0000

U.S. Treasuries were the talk of the town in 2011 as this asset class shielded investors from the rampant volatility that ripped through equity markets as debt woes on both sides of the Atlantic ocean intensified. However, encouraging economic data releases on the home front have paved the way higher for stocks in recent months, leading some to believe that government bonds may be floating in overbought territory [see also 3 ETF Trades For The Next Euro Zone Debt Crisis]. Recent developments in the Euro zone have further bolstered confidence that the global economic recovery can and will persevere despite overarching risks. As the cloud of uncertainty looming over financial markets slowly disperses, many are left wondering if U.S. Treasuries can retain their appeal in an improving economic environment. In a recent article in BusinessInsider.com, author Joe Weisenthal offers a compelling take on the current state of the domestic government bond market. Weisenthal cites [...]

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2011: A Year Of ETF Firsts

Jared Cummans — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:00:10 +0000

2011 has been arguably one the busiest ever for the ETF industry, as we are on pace to break through 300 new launches for the year. As we rapidly approach 1,400 total funds in the space, it can be a daunting task to try and keep up with the tidal wave of new products that seem to hit the market each week. For those who have been overwhelmed by this year’s debuts, they may be missing out on a number of new and innovative products. Below, we outline the ETF firsts that 2011 brought to better educate investors on the options that currently exist. First VIX ETFs: ProShares introduced the first true ETFs offering exposure to the VIX, rolling out VIXY and VIXM at the beginning of 2011. Previous ETPs in the Volatility ETFdb Category had all been structured at ETNs. Managed Futures: WisdomTree rolled out its Managed Futures Strategy [...]

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Q&A With Stuart Rosenthal: Factor ETF Investing

Eric Dutram — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:00:08 +0000

Recently, we hosted Stuart Rosenthal, CEO and Co-Founder of Factor Advisors, the company behind the FactorShares ETF lineup, here at the ETF Database headquarters. In our wide ranging conversation, we discussed how Stuart got started in the ETF business, what factor investing entails, as well as the potential benefits of using the ETF structure to bring this concept to the masses. ETF Database (ETFdb): How did you get into the ETF business? Stuart Rosenthal (SR): After serving five years as an Air Force Officer, I started my investment career at GMO which is a Boston firm with a quantitative focus. I began as an analyst and quickly learned the ropes of institutional investing, asset allocation, and risk analysis. From there, I moved to Rampart Investment Management, a boutique specializing in volatility management using options to add value through yield enhancement (covered call-writing) or hedging portfolio risk via protective puts and [...]

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Five ETF Strategies For A Sideways Market

Michael Johnston — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:00:56 +0000

Most investors have a pretty good idea which ETFs will perform well in bull markets (generally any type of risky asset, including equities and commodities) and which will perform well in bear markets (low risk bonds and inverse equity ETFs, among other asset classes). But finding products that have the potential to deliver meaningful gains when equity markets are moving sideways can be a more challenging task. The very nature of such an environment eliminates the vast majority of equity ETFs, and bond funds are also unlikely to show much movement when equities move along sideways. A 0% return on a portfolio is obviously preferable to the losses many experienced in 2008, but no growth can be tough to swallow. No one sets up a portfolio expecting it simply to tread water, and those with little in the way of patience may be frustrated by investments that simply spin their [...]

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FactorShares “Spread ETF” Available Commission Free

Eric Dutram — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:00:06 +0000

One of the biggest stories in the ETF world over the past year has been the rise of free trading partnerships between a number of the country’s biggest online brokerage houses and ETF issuers. TD Ameritrade and Fidelity are among the firms that have rolled out programs offering commission-free ETF trading on select funds; Fidelity partnered with iShares while TD’s platform covers more than 100 ETFs from a handful of different issuers. This movement has obviously been a positive development for investors, facilitating the construction of portfolios that are cost efficient in terms of both expense ratio and commission fees. There is now another player on the commission-free ETF trading scene; Interactive Brokers has announced that it will be offering free trading to its clients on all five of the brand new FactorShares ETFs. The FactorShares suite of leveraged ETFs offer exposure to ‘spread’ trades designed to capture the return [...]

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February ETF Roundup: Launches, Filings, and Closures

Jared Cummans — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:00:38 +0000

After January saw the introduction of nearly two dozen ETFs, February was a bit of a slowdown from a product development standpoint. Still, the month saw plenty of activity, as 14 new exchange-traded products launched and the pipeline continued to fill with both duplicative concepts and innovative ideas. February proved that the industry still has plenty of good ideas, as several of the funds to debut in February were first-to-market products giving investors new ways to play commodities such as natural gas and gold and targeted sub-sectors of the tech industry. Below, we highlight all of the new additions to the ETF lineup over the last month, as well as some new fund filings: New ETFs ETFs that began trading in February include: Teucrium launched Natural Gas Fund (NAGS), a futures-based product that could gain popularity as an alternative to the ultra-popular UNG. Both invest in natural gas futures, but [...]

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FactorShares Debuts New Breed Of Leveraged ETFs

Michael Johnston — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:45:33 +0000

FactorShares, a new entrant to the ETF industry, has launched a suite of leveraged products designed to offer investors exposure to the differentials in daily returns between various asset classes. The new leveraged funds will give investors an opportunity to bet that one asset class will increase in value relative to another over a single trading session, providing tools to bet on the relative performance of large cap U.S. stocks, long-dated Treasuries, the U.S. dollar, gold, and crude oil. Each of the FactorShares products will offer leveraged exposure to two asset classes–one long and one short position. The five FactorShares products launching today include: 2x S&P 500 Bull/T-Bond Bear (FSE): Designed for investors who believe the large-cap U.S. equity market segment will increase in value relative to the long-dated U.S. Treasury market segment over the next day. This fund will offer 200% daily leveraged exposure to the spread between large [...]

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Free ETF Trading: Comparing All The Options

Eric Dutram — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:00:25 +0000

As the ETF world continues to grow, the competitive landscape continues to evolve. In recent years, a growing number of firms have attempted to differentiate themselves by offering unique exposure to asset classes and strategies not previously available–such as funds tracking the Philippine stock market or ETNs linked to the price of industrial metals such as zinc or tin. More recently, the ETF industry has witnessed escalating price wars, with multiple issuers lowering management fees in an attempt to lure cost-conscious investors. These price wars have sent expense ratios to as low as six basis points, much to the delight of investors accustomed to forking over upwards of 1.5% annually to active mutual funds. But many ETF issuers have recognized that the total cost of ETF investing goes beyond just expense ratios, and have aggressively marketed programs designed to save investors money when executing ETF trades [see The Total Cost [...]

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ETF Database » FSE

5 ETF Plays For BlackRock’s 2013 Outlook

Related Posts:

How To Play A Treasury Bubble With ETFs

Related Posts:

2011: A Year Of ETF Firsts

Related Posts:

Q&A With Stuart Rosenthal: Factor ETF Investing

Related Posts:

Five ETF Strategies For A Sideways Market

Related Posts:

FactorShares “Spread ETF” Available Commission Free

Related Posts:

February ETF Roundup: Launches, Filings, and Closures

Related Posts:

FactorShares Debuts New Breed Of Leveraged ETFs

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Free ETF Trading: Comparing All The Options

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