Equity markets were choppy last week as investors digested a slew of data regarding all facets of the economy. Consumer confidence was sharply lower, while unemployment claims rose and existing home sales sunk, calling into question the strength of a global recovery. Across the Atlantic, investors remained worried about the future of the euro as continued Greek troubles weighed on European markets after the EU rejected a Greek austerity plan, saying that it was about $5.4 billion short of what was needed.
Below is a look at three ETFs that could be on the move this week amidst central bank meetings, data releases, and scrutiny of the global economy: [click to continue…]
The steady decline of the U.S. dollar has been one of the major stories of the second half of 2009, with a “perfect storm” of economic conditions sending the greenback to new lows against many of its major rivals. While a declining dollar isn’t nearly the problem that some make it out to be – a weak currency actually makes U.S. imports more attractive to foreign consumers – worries about a continued slide have all walks of investors, both hedgers and speculators, looking for efficient ways to achieve short exposure to the dollar. There are a number of ETFs that do just that, with each offering a unique risk and return profile.
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The Reserve Bank of Australia unexpectedly raised its main interest rate on Tuesday, becoming the first G-20 nation to do so since the start of the financial crisis. Australia, which managed to avoid a recession thanks to a quick fiscal stimulus and strong demand from China, was expected to be among the first developed markets [...]
It’s been an interesting week in the world of ETFs: The leaders of the G-20 nations met in Pittsburgh, existing home sales fell 2.7% in August, and oil fell below $66/bbl. Here are the ETF Database staff picks of the week’s most important and interesting stories from around the Web:
