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SMK

One of the greatest spectacles in sports kicks off in South Africa over the weekend, with 32 countries gathering to compete in the final stages of the World Cup. Even the economists of the world have taken an interest in the upcoming matches; ABN Amro recently released a note predicting that the world economy would benefit more from a German victory than if any other national team were to win.

In reality, any connection between success on the soccer pitch and an economic boost would be minimal. The biggest winner over the coming month could be South Africa, which has a chance to display its infrastructure and business environment to the world. To get in the spirit as the competition begins, we run through the 32 competitors, highlighting the ETF options available for each (for more ETF insights, sign up for our free ETF newsletter): [click to continue…]

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Edward Jones Discontinues Sale Of Leveraged ETFs

by Michael Johnston on July 22, 2009

The swelling controversy over the risks associated with leveraged ETFs has apparently caused its first casualty. St. Louis-based Edward Jones & Co., the prominent financial services firm, decided during a regular review of its products in June to stop selling leveraged funds, citing the fact that they are “one of the most misunderstood and potentially dangerous types of ETFs,” according to mutual fund research analyst Katie Martin. Edward Jones prepared a report titled “Not All ETFs Are Created Equal” that highlights the potential pitfalls with these complex financial instruments. [click to continue…]

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June ETF Data: Big Bumps For PowerShares, PIMCO, and ProShares

by Michael Johnston on July 3, 2009

The National Stock Exchange has released its monthly statistical bulletin for June, and the ETF industry certainly seems to have avoided any sort of “June swoon.” Although the trends for the industry as a whole are overwhelmingly positive, a trio of fund sponsors enjoyed particularly successful months. A few of the highlights from the report:

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ProShares Strengthens Grip on UltraShort ETF Market

by Michael Johnston on June 18, 2009

ProShares launched four new international ETFs on Thursday, expanding its already dominant line of inverse leveraged ETFs focusing on foreign markets. With the launch of these four funds, ProShares doubles the size of its product line in this area, which already featured -200% leveraged funds tracking the MSCI Japan Index, Xinhua 25 China Index, MSCI Emerging Markets [...]

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