ETF Database » QABA

Beyond XLF: Five Alternatives To The Popular Financial ETF

Michael Johnston — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:01:14 +0000

Over the past two years, the financial sector has seen more than its fair share of ups and downs. After being pushed to the brink of complete collapse after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, financials recovered to reclaim big chunks of the ground lost and finish 2009 as one of the year’s best performers. The financial sector has been back in focus in recent weeks as the government brought fraud charges against Goldman Sachs and lawmakers in Washington have been scrambling to push through a comprehensive regulatory overhaul. The enduring volatility of this sector has done little to diminish its appeal to investors. While those with a long-term focus may have shied away from financials, the increased volatility has attracted more active investors who measure their holdings periods in hours and days, not years. By far the most popular ETF in the Financial Equity ETFdb Category Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF), [...]

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Bank ETFs In Focus Following Obama Plan

Michael Johnston — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:13:16 +0000

The Obama presidency took a turn towards increased government intervention in the private sector last week when the president stepped up his campaign against Wall Street and announced a far-reaching proposal for tougher regulation of the country’s biggest banks. Backed by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, Obama put forth a plan designed to limit speculative activities by commercial banks and prevent financial institutions from becoming “too big to fail.” The latest proposal for reform in the financial sector would revive provisions of the repealed Glass-Steagall Act, which separated the operations of commercial and investment banks. At the heart of the proposal is an effort to limit the ability to take risk of any bank that also accepts customer deposits. Financial institutions that own commercial banks would be prohibited from owning, investing in, or sponsoring a hedge fund, private equity fund, or proprietary trading operations. Essentially, the regulations would force [...]

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SIVR Comes Flying Out Of The Gate

Michael Johnston — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:05:49 +0000

It’s been quite a week for the folks at ETF Securities (ETFS), one of the preeminent ETF sponsors in Europe that recently made the long jump across the pond to enter into the U.S. market. Last Friday ETFS launched its Silver Trust (SIVR), a bullion-backed trust that is expected to compete directly with iShares’ SLV, and the company rang the bell on the NYSE on Tuesday. Most new ETPs struggle to gain their footing coming out of the gate, but SIVR has had no problems establishing sufficient liquidity right from the get-go. ETFS rang the bell on the NYSE on Tuesday, and SIVR proceeded to trade nearly 250,000 shares that day. Volume was again above 200,000 on Wednesday and the fund’s average daily volume over its first five trading days topped 120,000. Typically, new ETFs take months to establish the level of liquidity that SIVR has managed to generate in [...]

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The ETF Hall of Fame: 25 People Who Revolutionized the ETF Industry

Michael Johnston — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 06:00:41 +0000

Over the last two years, equity markets have cratered, volatility has skyrocketed, and retirement portfolios have been crushed under the weight of a global recession and seemingly unending uncertainty. But over this period, the ETF industry has enjoyed astonishing success, attracting billions of dollars away from traditional mutual funds and redefining the business of long-term investing. While countless individuals have contributed to the industry’s meteoric rise, 25 people stand out for contributions that have guided ETF investing from its conception to widespread acceptance among all breeds of investors. The inaugural members of ETF Database’s Hall of Fame are presented below in alphabetical order, which is to say we have not attempted to rank these individuals by order of importance. John “Jack” Bogle, Founder of Vanguard Group Bogle may seem like a strange choice for inclusion in our Hall of Fame, given his vocal criticisms of certain aspects of ETFs. But Bogle’s [...]

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Community Banks ETF Set For July 1 Launch

Michael Johnston — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:05:55 +0000

First Trust Advisors L.P., the manager of a popular line of more than 35 ETFs, has announced that its newest fund, the NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund, will begin trading on the NASDAQ exchange on July 1. The new ETF will trade under the ticker QABA and have an expense ratio of 0.60%. The index tracked by the new ETF is a market capitalization-weighted benchmark that will hold stocks of all NASDAQ-listed banks and thrifts, except: Any of the 50 largest banks (based on asset size) Any bank having an “international specialization” based on data compiled by the FDIC Any bank having a “credit card specialization” Banks and thrifts must also meet two size/liquidity thresholds to be eligible for inclusion in the index: (1) market capitalization of at least $200 million and (2) three-month average daily trading volume of at least $500,000. At present, there are approximately 96 stocks comprising [...]

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ETF Database » QABA

Beyond XLF: Five Alternatives To The Popular Financial ETF

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Bank ETFs In Focus Following Obama Plan

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SIVR Comes Flying Out Of The Gate

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The ETF Hall of Fame: 25 People Who Revolutionized the ETF Industry

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Community Banks ETF Set For July 1 Launch

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