RBS rolled out its fifth ETN this week, debuting a product that offers exposure to the world’s largest pharmaceutical firms. The new Global Big Pharma ETN (DRGS) will seek to replicate the NYSE Arca Equal Weighted Pharmaceutical Total Return Index, a benchmark that consists of equal allocations to about 16 different companies involved in various phases of development, production and marketing of pharmaceuticals. [click to continue…]
Pharmaceutical companies have long been popular investments as they offer relatively inelastic products as well as strong dividend yields that give both growth and value investors something to buy into. As far as the ETF world is concerned, there are four products that allow investors to gain access to this investment class. But with the [...]
This past week was one of the worst the markets have seen since the crash in 2008. Lawmakers in Washington came to a consensus regarding the debt-ceiling, voting to raise the limit on our nation’s already towering deficit. Investor sentiment was pessimistic nonetheless and equity markets sold off even after the debt-drama appeared to be [...]
Monday was yet another down day for Wall Street as stocks started the week in red territory given the anticipation surrounding the debt-ceiling negotiations. Even after lawmakers in Washington passed the debt-deal on Tuesday, equities still tanked in afternoon trading as investors went into a selling-frenzy. Persistent uncertainty and broad-based weakness continue to pave the [...]
Investors went along for a downhill ride last week as debt woes plagued Wall Street, sending the S&P 500 lower by nearly 4% for the week. Corporate earnings were mostly surprises to the upside, but equities failed to stage a meaningful comeback since investors were more concerned with the debt ceiling drama at home. As [...]
The last week of April was a pretty solid one for markets as equities rose broadly throughout the week to finish the month at fresh highs. While a number of earnings reports were key to the positive investor sentiment, arugably the biggest news story of the week came from the Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday. In [...]
The first year and a half of president Obama’s term has been market by bold initiatives to reshape domestic policies and transform the U.S. economy. And for the most part the administration has followed through on its promises, already pushing through overhauls of the health care and financial systems. During his January State of the [...]
Health care was once considered to be one of the most stable sectors of the U.S. economy, with demands for products and services fluctuating little during various phases of the economic cycle. But recent events in Washington have brought increased scrutiny and volatility, as the Obama administration’s health care reform has investors questioning the future [...]
It’s baaaaaaaaack. Or maybe more accurately, swine flu never left. The H1N1 virus, which has caused widespread concern on at least two occasions over the last year, is back in the headlines as many parts of the world begin to gear up for the traditional flu season. In recent days and weeks, we’ve seen a [...]
Healthcare reform has been in the news a lot lately, with constant finger-pointing, debate, and competing versions of comprehensive bills. Although the passage of comprehensive reform appears to be less certain that it was only weeks ago, it remains likely that major changes are coming before the end of the year. While many specifics are [...]
The World Health Organization on Thursday informed its 11 member nations that it is declaring an H1N1 (aka “Swine Flu”) pandemic. The declaration of a flu pandemic, the first since 1968, means that the WHO believes a global outbreak of H1N1 has begun. As a result of the declaration, all countries, including those with no reported [...]
