The month of May was a generally disappointing stretch for investors, as both international and domestic equity markets struggled to overcome obstacles new and old. Commodities, which had been a nice source of absolute returns for much of the last year, fell on hard times as well; precious metals went into a brief freefall, and most other natural resources saw price declines as well.
May demonstrated the importance of a meaningful allocation to fixed income within any long-term portfolio, as most bond ETFs turned in nice gains during the month. The following tables highlight the best performers from each ETFdb Category during the month of May [ETFdb Pro members can download spreadsheets showing performance and expense data for the entire ETF universe]. [click to continue…]
The earthquake that hit northern Japan on Friday thoroughly devastated a significant portion of the Japanese countryside, leaving thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. While the loss of life and property due to the quake and tsunami was catastrophic, the events last week appear to be just the start of the country’s problems as [...]
Companies tied to the nuclear power industry were in focus for much of Monday’s trading session, as an upbeat earnings report from bellwether uranium miner Cameco (CCJ) helped to boost the fortunes of the sector and send shares of the Canadian company higher by more than 7% on the day. The company posted EPS of [...]
The first week of August was not nearly as positive as the last week of July for equity markets, which trended sideways before a weak jobs report sunk risky assets on Friday. Job creation continues to be a central issue for domestic equity markets, which seemed poised for a breakout in the wake of strong [...]
After news of fraud charges against Goldman Sachs broke last Friday, anxiety built over the weekend and investors watched nervously to see if markets would plummet this week. But markets saw a relatively clam week, with most indexes posting moderate gains despite more trouble in Greece and jumping gas prices. It was another eventful week [...]
Alternative energy remains a fast growing market segment not only in the world of ETFs, but in terms of total investment as well. Since 2005, investment in clean energy increased by 230% to $162 billion in 2009. Echoing similar trends occurring throughout the global economy, emerging markets have stepped up their push to become leaders [...]
San Francisco-based iShares, which was acquired by BlackRock from Barclays last year, has more than 180 U.S.-listed ETFs. But the distribution of assets is far from even across these funds. At the end of 2009, the ten largest iShares ETFs–only about five percent of the issuer’s product line–accounted for 50% of total assets. So there’s [...]
With concrete steps towards a globally-supported climate change initiative finally materializing, many investors have been considering the addition of a “green energy ETF” to their portfolios, speculating that mandates to reduce emissions will funnel investment dollars towards alternative energy technologies. Wind and solar power ETFs have seen significant cash inflows and jumps in price over [...]
Over the past two years, the primary focus of world leaders has been the series of economic crises that have threatened to erase years of progress and growth. With all available resources dedicated towards avoiding a prolonged downturn, many social and environmental issues have been moved to the back burner. Now, with a seemingly stable [...]
Through the first six months of the Obama administration, campaign promises were largely moved to the back burner while all available resources were devoted to an economy spiraling further and further into recession. Now that the country has lifted itself out of the recession and a recovery, albeit a fragile one, is underway, Washington has [...]
Bickering between Democrats and Republicans is nothing new, an American tradition right up there with apple pie, baseball, and fireworks on the 4th. Even on issues that would seem to lend themselves towards a consensus resolution, the two parties have found ways to create disagreements, allowing them to play to the American public and paint [...]
