iShares, the largest U.S. ETF issuer in terms of both assets and number of funds, continued the aggressive expansion of its product lineup this week with five new products offering exposure to commodity-related stocks. Each of the new ETFs will compete with existing products offering indirect exposure to natural resources through stocks of companies that are engaged in the exploration, production, and sale of various commodities [for updates on all new ETFs, sign up for the free ETFdb newsletter]. [click to continue…]
Equity markets endured another back-and-forth week as investors digested mixed earnings and lackluster economic data releases. Industry giants Apple and Caterpillar both surpassed analyst expectations, while AT&T, Verizon, and SanDisk all missed the mark. Investors also fretted over the latest new home sales report for the month of December, which came in below the previous [...]
Stellar earnings from Apple and a pledge from the Fed to keep interest rates low until 2014 were enough to spark a broad-based rally on Wall Street today. Euphoria from Apple’s impressive quarterly results carried the tech sector higher and the Nasdaq led the way, clinching gains of 1.14% on the day. The Dow Jones [...]
The bulls took charge on Wall Street last week as investors reacted positively after a number of encouraging economic data releases. Home builders confidence and existing sales continue to point towards signs of a recovery in the battered down U.S. housing market. Better-than-expected jobless claims also helped restore confidence in the domestic economic recovery. Earnings [...]
Equity markets started off the new year in bright green territory as indexes across the board soared higher, bolstered by returning bulls from holiday break. The Nasdaq led the way higher, clinching gains of 1.67% on the day, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged behind, gaining 1.47%. Basic materials stocks surged ahead alongside financials [...]
Equity markets started off the final trading week of the year on a mixed note, with many taking profits and locking in gains, while some cheered on the positive economic data at home. The holiday weekend wasn’t enough to inspire a full-scale Santa Claus rally like many had hoped ; the Nasdaq led with way [...]
As a handful of brave souls find out every four years, running for President of the United States generally involves opening up your personal life to intense examination by opponents, the media, and general public. Generally, the scrutiny focuses on personal histories–arrests, affairs, and lawsuits make for juicy reading. But being a public servant can [...]
After starting the week in a hole, domestic equity indexes have been working hard to reclaim lost ground over the past two days. Euro zone woes continue to weigh down on the markets although recent lending measures by the ECB ought to help ease investor worries. Wall Street was fairly quiet as equities drifted sideways [...]
This past year has shaped out to be nothing short of a roller coaster ride for investors. Confidence in the global economic recovery was rattled after disaster struck in Japan; waves of uncertainty spread across financial markets as the economic superpower coped with one of the worst earthquakes in its history. On the home front, [...]
Euphoria was quick to evaporate from the markets last week as investors fretted over ongoing uncertainty in the Euro zone. Selling pressures prevailed across equity markets as lawmakers have yet to outline a comprehensive plan of action for restoring stability to the debt burdened currency bloc. Gold futures tanked as investors took profits in the [...]
Stocks started off the day strong as hopes that the Fed would bring good news had most major indexes up over 1% upon market open. But as Ben Bernanke and company usually do, they left the door open for further QE, sparking a massive sell-off that quickly threw equities back into negative territory. The Dow lost 66 [...]
