March 9, 2009 is a date etched into the memories of many investors. After months of unprecedented volatility, depressing statistical releases, and countless false bottoms, that’s the day most equity markets finally hit their lows. It also marked the beginning of an impressive rally that saw most major indexes climb steadily for the remainder of the year, reclaiming big chunks of the ground lost during the downturn. While the “great rally of ‘09″ boosted most asset classes (and their related ETFs), some performed far better than others. [click to continue…]
Turkish equity markets, which have been among the world’s top performers over the last year, hit some major turbulence on Tuesday as revelations of arrests over a recent coup plot and ongoing trouble in neighbor and longtime rival Greece spooked investors. The news sent the iShares MSCI Turkey ETF (TUR) plunging more than 5% on the day. According to various sources, including the BBC and the Canadian Press, prosecutors interrogated 51 Turkish Military commanders on Tuesday about alleged plans to destabilize the country by blowing up mosques and provoking Greece into shooting down a Turkish plane over the Aegean Sea in order to trigger a coup and topple the government. This event brought up memories of the forced resignation of the Turkish Prime Minister in 1997, the fourth overthrow or forced resignation since 1960, and left investors to wonder how far the emerging market has really progressed and whether EU membership is attainable at any point in the near future. [click to continue…]
With just over a month in the books for 2010, equity markets have already been taken on a wild ride. After an initial jump, concerns over a government-imposed slowdown in China weighed on global stocks, particularly emerging markets and commodity-intensive businesses. As we enter February, many equity ETFs find themselves in the red for the [...]
After watching their portfolios take devastating blows in 2008, many investors hoped that a new year would bring a reversal of fortune and a recovery of lost assets. After the first two months of the year tested resolve, things finally took a turn for the better in March, and long climb upwards began. Most equity [...]
As Thanksgiving hosts across the country focus intently on preparing a proper turkey, opportunistic investors have been considering another kind of Turkey product: the iShares MSCI Turkey Investable Market Index Fund (TUR). Turkey isn’t even on the radar screens of most investors, but this Mediterranean nation has a unique economy and a potentially attractive risk [...]
It’s been an interesting week in the world of ETFs: U.S. unemployment hit 10.2%, the highest since 1983, while gold traded around $1100/oz. Here are the ETF Database staff picks of the week’s most important and interesting stories from around the Web:
With the third quarter drawing to a close and a possible economic recovery beginning to take place, many investors who have been sitting on the sidelines are anxious to get back into the market and put their money to work again. With overriding fears about inflation and concerns about the U.S. dollar, many investors are [...]
