Van Eck introduced the Market Vectors CEF Municipal Income ETF (XMPT) on Wednesday, giving investors another option for accessing a corner of the U.S. bond market that has been the subject of heated debate in recent weeks. The new ETF will seek to replicate the S-Network Municipal Bond Closed End Fund Index, a benchmark that includes U.S. CEFs that are designed to produce federally tax-exempt annual yield. Currently, the underlying index consists of about 88 closed end funds. Almost 95% of the underlying index is investment grade debt. [click to continue…]
After witnessing an impressive run-up through the first three quarters of the year, more and more investors are now expressing concern over a bubble in bond markets. Reaction to the recent announcement of another round of QE has skewed towards the negative, as economists both in the U.S. and around the globe have predicted that [...]
As investors have become more comfortable with the idea of achieving fixed income exposure through the exchange-traded structure, bond ETF assets have skyrocketed and the number of funds has increased rapidly. For those in higher tax brackets, municipal bonds have always been a popular option, as the tax-exempt feature of the interest payment boosts the [...]
First, the good news: all those fears about runaway inflation following from the massive injections of capital into financial markets appear to have been overblown. Now for the bad news: the alternative may be much worse. For months wary investors have been eagerly watching CPI reports, fearful of the release indicating that price increases are [...]
Uncertainty over the prospects for the global economic recovery in recent months has prompted some investors to vacate equity positions in favor of safe havens that tend to perform well in turbulent economic environments [see Five Safe Haven ETFs]. Once upon a time, long-term bonds would have been a popular option for investors seeking safety. [...]
In the business of asset management, bond investing may not get much love, but it can be as vital a component of an investor’s portfolio as equities. Fixed income investing isn’t nearly as sexy as stock picking, but as many investors have learned in recent years, a well-rounded bond allocation can significantly reduce the overall [...]
Following a year that saw some of the worst performances in recent memory, many asset classes have bounced back in 2009. But some have performed better than others, and as the year draws to a close we take a look at some of the best-performing ETFs. The year’s top gainers include a few of the [...]
Allstate Corp., the largest publicly-traded insurer of homes and automobiles in the U.S., announced this week that it is making some major shifts in its investment portfolio that now exceeds $100 billion. The Northbrook, Illinois-based company announced that it is reducing its exposure to commercial real estate and municipal bonds in favor of corporate debt.
