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, as measured by EEM, had lost almost 20% on the year, while the EAFE region had been dragged down by Europe, losing about 13%. [click to continue…]
Van Eck has begun the process of converting six HOLDRS products offered by Merrill Lynch into traditional ETFs that will be included under the Market Vectors lineup, offering investors an opportunity to exchange their receipts in HOLDRS trusts for shares in the new ETFs. The exchange requires affirmative action on the part of investors, meaning [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
The competitive landscape of the ETF industry has evolved rapidly over the last several years, with several new players–both big and small–making a push into the space. From financial giants such as RBS and Citi to relative unknowns such as Javelin and Precidian, the roster of active ETF issuers has grown to nearly four dozen. [...]
Van Eck announced last week a partnership with Merrill Lynch that may ultimately lead to the conversion of several HOLDRS products to soon-to-be-launched Market Vectors ETFs. As part of the agreement, Van Eck will introduce six new ETFs that maintain the same tickers as the existing HOLDRS but that will be part of the Market [...]
The past few weeks have been focused on one of the biggest debt crises in U.S. history, as lawmakers sought to find a way through a $14.3 trillion pile of debt. While major equities have suffered their worst stretch in over a year, this quarter’s earnings season has taken a back seat to the debt [...]
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 beginning of earnings season last week provided a welcome distraction from the more troubling forums that have been capturing the attention of investors in recent weeks. The latest developments in Europe’s ongoing debt saga and twists and turns in Washington related to the fast-approaching debt ceiling have been steering markets in recent sessions. Those [...]
Most markets inched higher last week, but hit a bit of road bump on Friday after investors digested news of declining consumer sentiment for January and a worse-than-expected GDP report. Gold and oil both traded lower during the week, but both commodities were able to stage a small rallies on Friday amidst all the uncertainty [...]
Although growth prospects remain dim and job creation remains minimal, investors continue to snatch up equities thanks to a weak dollar and hopes that the Fed will resume its quantitative easing program in the not-so-distant future. However, speculation of this program and brighter futures in emerging markets are combining to produce some collateral damage, as [...]
