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10 Equity ETFs That Surged In 2011 (And Might Do The Same In 2012)

Michael Johnston — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:00:27 +0000

This time last year, investors were generally thrilled with the performances of their portfolios, which had continued to bounce back nicely from the devastating recession that hit in 2008. Unfortunately, few are feeling the same sense of accomplishment as 2011 draws to a close; this year has been frustrating in that a few large, swift sell-offs erased any gains that had accumulated, leaving many risky asset classes in negative territory for the year [see also Checking In: Top 5 Equity ETFs of 2010]. Continued concerns about the fiscal health of Europe have weighted on markets around the globe, demonstrating once again just how intertwined global markets are and how struggles in one corner of the globe can translate into difficulties elsewhere. Through December 20, the S&P 500 SPDR (SPY) had managed to squeeze out a small gain on the year–which was considerably better than popular international equity ETFs. Emerging markets, [...]

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New Pharma ETN (DRGS) Hits The Market

Michael Johnston — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:30:38 +0000

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. Under The Hood Half of the underlying portfolio consists of U.S. companies, with the other 50% of the index split between the UK (3 companies), Switzerland, Denmark, France, Israel, and Canada (one company each). The components are equal-weighted, meaning that the allocation to each is approximately equivalent upon rebalancing. Equal-weighted indexes have become increasingly popular as the underlying for exchange-traded products, as many investors have embraced this methodology as an alternative to the potentially inefficient–but still dominant–market capitalization weighting. Because equal weighting breaks the link between index [...]

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The Pharma Four: Similar ETFs, Different Returns

Jared Cummans — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:45:33 +0000

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 four products being very similar, it can be difficult to pick and choose one ETF over the other. While underlying holdings or investment strategies may be similar, the returns of these products has been drastically different over the last few years, which may swing investors one way or the other on these ETFs [see also Three Things Wall Street Journal Didn’t Tell You About Commodities]. HOLDRS Merrill Lynch Pharmaceutical (PPH) This HOLDRS fund debuted in 2000 and is an investor favorite, with nearly $500 million in assets and an average daily volume well over 300,000. [...]

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ETF Insider: Run For The Hills!

Stoyan Bojinov — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:00:38 +0000

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 over on Tuesday. Global indexes plunged on Thursday as investors violently sold-off securities from every corner of the market, with domestic equity benchmarks dropping over 4% in the session. Uncertainty remains the name of the game as investors are outright worried about the financial health of the euro zone and the United States. Against this apocalyptic backdrop, nearly all model ETF portfolios were deep in the red this week, while our actionable ideas held up surprisingly well. Actionable ETF Trade Ideas Our picks from Monday’s Insider were a mixed bag largely due to the fact [...]

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ETF Insider: Roller Coaster Ride Continues

Stoyan Bojinov — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:00:47 +0000

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 way higher for gold as the precious metal once again surged to new all-time highs this week, hitting $1,675 an ounce on Wednesday morning. Crude oil on the other hand has been very weak these past few weeks, managing to sell off Monday afternoon and close just above $92 a barrel on Wednesday. These losses in crude were largely thanks to ongoing weakness in economic data reports as worries over demand continue to build in the global economy. This week’s recommendations have posted mixed performance results so far given the persistent weakness in equity markets [...]

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ETF Insider: Equities Poised To Pop

Stoyan Bojinov — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:42:51 +0000

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 expected, gold continued its march higher, with futures prices hitting an all-time high of $1,637 an ounce on Friday morning. Our trade recommendations for this week include a defensive position in a domestic sector fund as well as an international fixed-income ETF, while our bullish pick stands to benefit from a rebound in foreign equities. Weekly Outlook The coming week is stacked with central bank meetings around the globe, including a key interest rate decision by the European Central Bank which will be watched by many given the deteriorating financial health of the Euro zone. [...]

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Three ETFs To Watch This Week: IHE, SLV, TAN

Jared Cummans — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:00:24 +0000

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 this meeting, which featured the first ever live news conference immediately afterwards, Bernanke pledged to keep rates low for an ‘extended period’ and that a rate hike wouldn’t happen for at least a ‘couple of meetings’. Although the dollar sank on this forecast from the Chairman, it did help to boost commodities to unprecedented heights as gold is now firmly above the $1,500/oz. mark and silver is within striking distance of the $50/oz. level. “Extended period is conditioned on resource slack, on subdued inflation and on stable inflation expectations,” Bernanke said. “Once those conditions are violated or we [...]

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ETFs To Play A U.S. Export Boom

Michael Johnston — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:30:02 +0000

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 Union Address, Obama announced his National Export Initiative, a plan to double the country’s exports within five years. By boosting the value of American goods shipped overseas the president hopes to create new jobs on the home front, overcoming one of the most significant obstacles standing in the way of a sustained economic recovery [see UNG: Proof Of A U.S. Recovery]. According to the White House, exports surged almost 17% in the first four months of this year, indicating that the ambitious export agenda is moving forward. “This puts the US on track to reach [...]

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Beyond XLV: Five Alternative Health Care ETFs

Michael Johnston — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:34:29 +0000

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 of health care ETFs. Many of the long-term impacts of reform are still unknown. The bill will most certainly have an impact on health care insurance issuers; nearly 30 million new customers could translate into more revenue. But companies will likely also have to accept those who have pre-existing conditions, which could turn out to be a drag on profitability (see An Unlikely Winner From Health Care Reform). Other corners of the health care space–including pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers–will see their business impacted in some way. The far-reaching reform has made health care ETFs [...]

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Return of Swine Flu: Pharma ETFs In Focus

Michael Johnston — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:42:58 +0000

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 number of high profile indications that the deadly virus didn’t simply retreat into the distance: Colombian president Álvaro Uribe has been diagnosed with H1N1 after complaining of fever, headaches, and backaches during a meeting with regional leaders. Uribe’s diagnosis comes just weeks after Costa Rica’s president Oscar Arias recovered from a mild case of swine flu. Uribe is apparently being kept in semi-isolation as he continues to carry out his duties as Colombia’s leader. In the sports world, U.S. soccer star Landon Donovan recently made headlines when he announced that he played in a World [...]

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ETF Database » IHE

10 Equity ETFs That Surged In 2011 (And Might Do The Same In 2012)

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New Pharma ETN (DRGS) Hits The Market

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The Pharma Four: Similar ETFs, Different Returns

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ETF Insider: Run For The Hills!

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ETF Insider: Roller Coaster Ride Continues

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ETF Insider: Equities Poised To Pop

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Three ETFs To Watch This Week: IHE, SLV, TAN

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ETFs To Play A U.S. Export Boom

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Beyond XLV: Five Alternative Health Care ETFs

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Return of Swine Flu: Pharma ETFs In Focus

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