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IYF

After generally impressive earnings reports sent markets higher for much of the last week, Friday’s shocking allegations against Goldman Sachs ensured that the week ended on a down note. The SEC filed fraud charges against the Wall Street giant on Friday, alleging that the firm failed to make important disclosures surrounding a subprime mortgage product some believe was destined to fail. The SEC claims that Goldman constructed and marketed ABACUS, a synthetic collateralized debt obligation linked to the performance of subprime MBS. Goldman didn’t make certain “vital information” known to investors. Specifically, the hedge fund run by John Paulson was involved in selecting which securities would be part of the portfolio, while standing to reap a huge profit if the mortgage-backed securities failed. [click to continue…]

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Five ETFs In Focus Ahead Of The State Of The Union Address

by on January 27, 2010

Barack Obama’s first year in office has, by most accounts, been a mixed bag. The massive $787 billion stimulus plan helped to avoid an even deeper recession, but failed to impact joblessness in any meaningful way. Instead of seeing a downturn in the unemployment rate as promised, Americans have seen the rate grow to double digits. Comprehensive healthcare reform was seemingly within days of becoming a reality, but now seems like a long shot. Outrage at Wall Street has ebbed and flowed, reaching a fever pitch in recent weeks following massive bonus payments in the financial sector. [click to continue…]

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Will Dodd’s Exit Help Or Hurt Financial ETFs?

by on January 7, 2010

After sweeping into power last year, democrats have fallen on hard times. Approval ratings are slipping across the board and several incumbents are vulnerable heading into mid-term elections. The latest blow came from Senator Chris Dodd, the Chairman of the powerful Senate Banking Committee, who announced that he will not be seeking reelection later this [...]

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Will Financial ETFs Ride M&A Wave Higher?

by on November 16, 2009

Over the past few weeks, there has been a resurgence in acquisition activity, fueling an already strong market rally. This news has spanned all regions of the economy ranging from the transportation sector (Burlington Northern being taken over by Berkshire Hathaway) to pharmaceuticals (Schering Plough being acquired by Merck). Most recently, in the consumer sector, [...]

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