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UAE, Qatar Rejected, Won’t Be Joining Emerging Markets ETFs (EEM, VWO)

Michael Johnston — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:00:44 +0000

MSCI, the firm responsible for developing and maintaining some of the most widely-followed indexes in the world, announced on Wednesday that Qatar and the United Arab Emirates would remain classified under frontier status until at least the middle of 2012, ending speculation over whether the two Middle East economies would be upgraded to emerging status. The decision ended weeks of speculation that had spurred increased activity as market participants sought to anticipate the ramifications of an upgrade. MSCI cited the “stringent foreign ownership limits, including on large companies” imposed by Qatar as a remaining hurdle that must be cleared before an upgrade is possible. “Any change to the status of the MSCI Qatar Index is conditional upon a meaningful increase of foreign ownership limit levels applied to Qatari companies resulting in increased foreign room,” said MSCI in a press release. The UAE was held back due to “significant concerns over [...]

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Dividend ETF Investing: Four Critical Factors To Consider

Stoyan Bojinov — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:00:34 +0000

[This article is a free preview of the special ETF research report Dividend ETFs In Focus: Finding The Best Yield. ETFdb Pro members can read the entire report here; sign up for a free 7-day trial to get your copy] The proliferation of exchange-traded products offering investors exposure to dividend-focused strategies is a testament to the efficiency of the marriage of this methodology with the inherently appealing exchange-traded structure. The wealth of choices is certainly a luxury, as it allows investors to specifically target the exposure desired. But with dozens of exchange-traded products offering up access to dividend paying stocks, it can be challenging to sort through the entire lineup. Not all dividend ETFs are created equal, and in fact the differences in the risk / return profile among the products in this segment of the ETF universe can be significant. The nuances of the underlying indexes can be somewhat [...]

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Why We Don’t Need Any More ETF Closures

Michael Johnston — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:45:53 +0000

[This article is a free preview from the October edition of ETF Edge, the premium newsletter included with a subscription to ETFdb Pro] After a summer slowdown, the product development segment of the ETF industry is back in full swing; close to 40 new ETFs and ETNs began trading in October, pushing the total product lineup past the 1,300 mark. But while new products continue to pop up at an impressive rate, there is activity at the other end of the spectrum as well; exchange-traded products continue to shut down, as issuers shutter funds that have not generated the interest they had hoped. While there have been a number of closures in 2011, the consensus in the media seems to be that significantly more consolidation is needed. Ron Rowland’s ETF Deathwatch suggests that about 150 ETFs–more than 10% of the industry lineup–are in danger (or perhaps in need) of shutting [...]

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Four ETFs That Have Held Their Ground During Crisis

Jared Cummans — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:00:55 +0000

The recent economic crisis has led to a frenzy of activity on Wall Street, as we have seen dramatic swings in both directions on a regular basis. Starting with a debt deal that did little to reassure investors, markets began to drop. Next came the downgrade from S&P, the first ever from a domestic credit rating agency, shaking markets around the globe as worries about a prolonged period of stagnant economic growth intensified. Stocks recovered slightly towards the end of last week, but a statement from Fed Chair Ben Bernanke seemed to scare some investors as the Fed decided to hold rates at the current ultra-low levels until mid-2013, suggesting there is little hope for our economy to experience substantial growth in the coming years [see also Three Equity ETFs Crushed By Monday’s Massacre]. The chaos that has blown through Wall Street over the last two weeks or so has [...]

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Dividend ETF Special: 25 Equity ETFs With Attractive Distribution Yields

Michael Johnston — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:00:55 +0000

For investors looking to generate current returns from the equity portion of their portfolio, there is no shortage of exchange-traded products offering attractive dividend yields in the current environment. From ETFs linked to dividend-weighted indexes to those that focus on companies with stellar distribution histories to simply sector-specific funds in high yield corners of the market, there are dozens of options to choose from. Below, we profile 25 dividend ETF options [for more ETF ideas, sign up for our free ETF newsletter]: 1. 2x Monthly Leveraged Business Development Company ETN (BDCL) Business development companies (BDCs) are a unique type of entity engaged in lending money to small and mid-sized companies and making various types of strategic investments. In order to maintain certain tax advantages, BDCs must pay out almost all of their current earnings–making this asset class an interesting option for yield-hungry investors. BDCL is a monthly leveraged ETN, meaning [...]

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Never Judge An ETF By Its Cover

Michael Johnston — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:00:27 +0000

As hundreds of billions of dollars have flowed into exchange-traded products in recent years, international equity ETFs have been a particularly popular destination. As investors have shed their “home country bias” and recognized the importance of meaningful international equity allocations, the low costs and instant diversification offered by the exchange-traded structure have understandably served as major selling points. And given the often significant volatility in some international markets, the ability to execute trades intraday also stands out as an important quality for investors [see Five Free ETF Tools]. There are dozens of country-specific ETFs, offering pure play exposure to markets that are home to some of the world’s biggest and most important economies (23 China ETFs according to the ETF screener) down to the relatively small and lesser-known (such as Egypt and Vietnam). In addition to the numerous funds focusing on specific countries, there are also several products designed to [...]

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Middle East ETFs Under Pressure As Protests Intensify

Michael Johnston — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:00:31 +0000

Investors have become familiar with the term “contagion” in recent years, but most are accustomed to hearing the phenomenon discussed in relation to sovereign debt defaults in Europe or across U.S. municipalities. But in recent days the Middle East has seen a wave of revolutionary protests and rallies spread across the region, as what began as calls for democratic overhauls in Cairo has quickly spread to a handful of other countries. U.S. markets were closed on Monday for the President’s Day holiday, with investors focusing on overseas developments anyways. Yemen’s president shot down calls for his resignation that have intensified during ten days of demonstrations throughout the country. “Why do they want to return to chaos?” said Ali Abdullah Saleh, who also offered to sit down to discussions with protestors inspired by movements that forced out leaders in Egypt and Tunisia [see also Examining International Dividend ETFs]. In Bahrain, an [...]

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Three ETFs To Watch This Week: GULF, RTH, XOP

Eric Dutram — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Last week was a quiet but generally positive one for the markets as shares rose in a variety of sectors thanks to stronger commodity prices and quality earnings reports. The biggest gainers came out of the basic materials sector where major oil firms gained significantly and oil equipment and service companies also posted solid trading weeks on continued optimism over the world economy. The spotlight continued to be on the Middle East where a report regrading Iranian plans to send warships to Syria via the Suez Canal shook the markets in mid-week before dying back down by Friday trading. Protests also continued in a number of Middle Eastern nations as Libya and Bahrian experienced the largest-scale demonstrations, putting governments around the region on edge. This week, the focus looks to once again be on earnings releases and government data, as markets keep an eye on the situation in the Middle [...]

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Examining International Dividend ETFs

Michael Johnston — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:00:48 +0000

With interest rates at record lows and expected to remain depressed for the foreseeable future, investors have been forced to get creative in their hunt for current return. Some have shifted domestic fixed income holdings along the risk/return continuum, seeking out more attractive yields from junk bonds. Others have ventured beyond the U.S. borders, embracing emerging market bonds as a higher-yielding alternative to Treasuries. Equities have also emerged as a potential source of current return, with the dividend yield on many stocks exceeding the yield on fixed income securities. Billions of dollars have flowed into exchange-traded products focusing on the MLP sector of the domestic energy market, thanks in part to yields in the neighborhood of 6% on these securities [see MLP ETFs: Fact And Fiction]. For investors looking to access a broader representation of dividend-paying companies, there are several ETFs that focus on high-yielding domestic equities, tilted towards corners [...]

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Middle East ETFs In Focus As BlackBerry Showdown Looms

Michael Johnston — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:34:52 +0000

For businessmen and women who regularly travel to the Middle East, last week saw the unveiling of a nightmare: a BlackBerry blackout across much of the region starting later this year. The United Arab Emirates announced recently that it will begin banning users of BlackBerry mobile phones from using email, instant messaging, and web browsing services beginning in October, escalating the long running dispute with Research In Motion (RIMM), the manufacturer of the devices. Saudi Arabia has announced that it will join the UAE in its crackdown on BlackBerry devices. The disagreement centers around the encryption technology used by BlackBerry devices that makes them difficult to monitor and the fact that certain data is stored offshore. Because BlackBerry phones access the internet and email through RIM’s own network, they are more secure than other smartphones. But some governments worry that the set-up limits their ability to monitor the communications of [...]

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ETF Database » GULF

UAE, Qatar Rejected, Won’t Be Joining Emerging Markets ETFs (EEM, VWO)

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Dividend ETF Investing: Four Critical Factors To Consider

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Why We Don’t Need Any More ETF Closures

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Four ETFs That Have Held Their Ground During Crisis

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Dividend ETF Special: 25 Equity ETFs With Attractive Distribution Yields

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Never Judge An ETF By Its Cover

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Middle East ETFs Under Pressure As Protests Intensify

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Three ETFs To Watch This Week: GULF, RTH, XOP

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Examining International Dividend ETFs

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Middle East ETFs In Focus As BlackBerry Showdown Looms

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