The evolution of the ETF industry has brought forth a host of strategies previously out of reach for mainstream investors. With over 1,400 products to choose from, investors can tap into an array of asset classes while enjoying the full benefits of the exchange-traded product structure such as ease of use, transparency, and enhanced tax efficiencies. Innovation has not only helped to expand the universe, but make it cheaper to access as well; investors can now trade several hundred ETFs commission free right from their brokerage account [see all Commission Free ETFs].
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Last week was relatively slow for equities, as a lack of significant data did not allow for much movement in general markets. Still, disappointing housing data did not do much in the way of paving the road to recovery, as many analysts and experts agree that housing is still a key to calling our economy [...]
As far as the majority of the ETF industry is concerned, size is everything. Institutions and financial advisors often have minimum AUM requirements for investing; a pre-screen that many ETFs fail due to their smaller size. Even individual investors are quick to write off a fund with low assets, as they assume its low popularity [...]
Yet another earnings season has passed by and left us with plenty to talk about. Unfortunately, blue chip statements will no longer dominate markets, leaving us more vulnerable to news from the flailing euro zone, as evidenced by Friday’s trading day. For the next few months, investors will shift their attention back to economic data [...]
Markets seem to be in a state of confusion, as positive news and data is offset by just as many negative factors. Some investors feel that 2012 will continue to see its nice rally, as this past month was the best January for equities since 1997. Others think that the fun is over as a [...]
The ETF industry finished 2011 with assets of about $1.06 trillion according to data recently released by the ETF Industry Association. Total assets grew by about 5% over the previous year, when the industry stood at $1.01 trillion. Net cash inflows for the year totaled about $117.6 billion, a slight decrease from 2010 when the [...]
With snow now blanketing a big part of the country and 2012 just a few weeks away, looking back at the past year becomes a popular activity. For many portfolios, 2011 has been marked by big swings that seem to be leaving investors right about where they started; there has been plenty of activity over [...]
The ETF industry has been praised for the many advantages that it offers investors. Exchange traded products are liquid, transparent, and cover a broad range of investment classes to help round out portfolios. On top of all of these advantages lies the cost factor; one of the founding principles of ETPs was to maintain cost [...]
This past week was a rough one for equities, as euro fears overshadowed global data to send stocks into a tailspin. It seems that after taking the weekend to mull over the euro debt deal, investors were less than impressed with the final outcome. The smoking gun probably came from the U.K. refusing to participate, [...]
U.S. ETF assets declined slightly in November according to the latest data from the National Stock Exchange, as the rapidly-growing industry experienced net outflows amidst a general flight from both domestic and international equities. The industry finished last month with $1.06 trillion in net assets, down about 2% from the previous month but up 12% [...]
With over 1,400 exchange-traded products on the market, investors have likely run into some seemingly “duplicate” offerings. While many of the “plain vanilla” products have quite a bit in common, there are more than a handful of funds which offer seemingly identical exposure, although a closer look under the hood reveals some noteworthy surprises [see [...]
