ETF Database » PXN

Technology ETFs: Social Media, SSDs, Smartphones, and More

Michael Johnston — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:30:57 +0000

As the ETF industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, innovation has been a recurring theme in the space. Although some of the new exchange-traded products now hitting the market offer access to “plain vanilla” asset classes and indexes, the ETF expansion has been fueled primarily by first-to-market products that open up new asset classes and investment strategies. From leveraged platinum and palladium ETNs to Australian Bonds to soybeans, 2011 has been a year of firsts in the ETF industry [see Six Noteworthy ETF Innovations]. As a result of this trend, ETFs have become increasingly specialized, granular tools. The vast majority of exchange-traded products now available to U.S. investors are likely of little or no use to those with a buy-and-hold strategy; much of the ETP universe is simply too targeted for those with a long-term time horizon. But these products are powerful tactical tools [...]

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Ten ETFs No One Is Thankful For

Stoyan Bojinov — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:00:28 +0000

The ETF industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the last five years and innovation across products has brought forth a multitude of previously inaccessible investment strategies to mainstream investors. Aside from the vast expansion in the exchange-traded product universe, the last five years have been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. Global financial markets witnessed an unprecedented economic downturn after the collapse of the U.S. housing market, only to stage a truly remarkable recovery in the years following. There are now more than 1,350 ETPs available on the market, most of which are relatively new introductions to investors. Those with longer track records have endured some severe losses in recent years, putting a significant dent in many portfolios; of the 330 or so available prior to November 2006, close to half have delivered negative returns. Amidst the chaos in the markets in recent years, some exchange-traded products [...]

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Tech ETFs In Focus: Highlighting Some Hyper-Targeted Options

Jared Cummans — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:55:21 +0000

The growth of the ETP lineup to 1,300 products and beyond has been fueled largely by the development–and success–of funds other than the “plain vanilla” offerings that offer exposure to well known stock and bond indexes. As the ETF industry has grown in size, it has also become more granular in nature; many of the products out there are ideal for fine tuning tactical exposures, focusing in on a specific asset sub-class of investment strategy [see also Five ETFs To Look Forward To]. Once upon a time the universe of sector ETFs consisted of products that sliced and diced economies into nine different industries, such as financials, industrials, materials, and utilities. But the evolution of ETFs has taken sector-specific exposure to another level, as dozens of products now offer ways to tap into targeted sub-sectors of both the U.S. economy and global stock market. Perhaps no industry has been sliced [...]

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Highlighting The PIIGS ETFs

Michael Johnston — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:00:45 +0000

While reports of jobless rates in the U.S. or the pace of inflation in China occasionally pop to the top of the headlines, the last several months have seen the spotlight focused on European markets as the continent continues to battle a debt crisis that has threatened to derail a fragile economic recovery. While the fiscal woes have been felt throughout Europe, the impact has not been felt evenly. Some of the more financially stable markets, such as Germany, have held up quite well; the euro’s weakness has actually given a boost to export-driven markets whose goods have become more attractively priced to foreign buyers. At the opposite end of the risk spectrum from the relatively stable Germany, is the PIIGS group of economies that has emerged as a threat to bring down the entire euro zone. This group, which includes Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain, are all facing [...]

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Nanotechnology ETF: Will Small Science Lead To Big Gains?

Eric Dutram — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:30:10 +0000

In much the same way that the rise of the Internet has changed the world over the past two decades, nanotechnology may shape the way we live over the next twenty years. Nanotechnology, technically speaking, is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale, the study of matter that is roughly 100 nanometers or smaller (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter). With countless possible applications in other words, nanotechnology has the potential to drive tremendous technological innovation in coming decades. The question is not if nanotechnology will change our lives but by how much and, perhaps more importantly, how soon. Multitude of Applications Nanotech is already appearing in more household products than most consumers realize. It is currently estimated that there are more than 1,000 products that use nanotechnology, including flash drives, air purifiers, and makeup. There are vast applications beyond everyday household uses for this science [...]

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Definitive Guide To Semiconductor ETFs: Semiconductor ETFs 101

Michael Johnston — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:42:37 +0000

For investors looking to make a play on the technology sector through ETFs, there are a number of options offering varying degrees of exposure. The PowerShares QQQ Trust (QQQQ) tracks the Nasdaq 100 Index, meaning it is tilted heavily towards the technology sector (about 65% of its holdings), but maintains moderate exposure to health care and consumer discretionary companies as well. For investors looking to make a pure play on technology, there are several broad-based technology funds, such as XLK and IYW, that invest in various technology-related companies. But there are also technology ETFs offering far more specialization, including funds focusing on software (IGV and PSJ), internet architecture (IAH), nanotechnology (PXN), and several other. One of the most popular corners of the technology sector focuses on semiconductors, a key component of almost every modern electronics product. Named because their electrical conductivity is between that of a conductor and an insulator, [...]

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Does RIMM’s Slump Signal Trouble For Tech ETFs?

Eric Dutram — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:30:40 +0000

Research in Motion (RIMM), the Canadian maker of the popular Blackberry device, is taking a beating today, with its shares down more than 15% in early trading. The company reported weaker than expected revenue for the quarter ended in August and gave disappointing earnings guidance for the upcoming third. The news sparked a host of downgrades from the likes of Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and Raymond James, all of whom have expressed their doubt in RIMM’s ability to maintain market share in North America without slashing prices. After maintaining a stranglehold on the smartphone market for years, RIMM is now facing formidable competition from Apple, Palm and Motorola, and the impact on the bottom line is staggering. RIMM earned two cents per share more in last year’s quarter ending in August despite the fact that the company did over a billion dollars less in revenue, showing how quickly their margins [...]

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ETF Database » PXN

Technology ETFs: Social Media, SSDs, Smartphones, and More

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Ten ETFs No One Is Thankful For

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Tech ETFs In Focus: Highlighting Some Hyper-Targeted Options

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Highlighting The PIIGS ETFs

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Nanotechnology ETF: Will Small Science Lead To Big Gains?

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Definitive Guide To Semiconductor ETFs: Semiconductor ETFs 101

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Does RIMM’s Slump Signal Trouble For Tech ETFs?

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