After charging forward on Monday, stocks have been turning in sour performances, as it seems that there is no positive news to keep investors upbeat enough to buy. While the end of today’s session saw a fair amount of buying activity, it was likely due to major indexes sinking nearly 1% intraday, before they rose up to finish flat. The Dow gained just over 19 points while the S&P 500 surrendered 2.3 points in the session. The weak day was spurned by a slight miss in unemployment claims as well as the flat revision of fourth quarter GDP; it seems that many were hoping the Fed would revise that figure higher or comment on QE3 and spark some confidence for markets [see also 3 ETFs For The End Of Operation Twist]. [click to continue…]
Markets had another slow day, as most major benchmarks straddled the break-even line for the session. The Dow fell by 45.5 points while the S&P 500 lost a meager 0.2%, leading to a second straight down day for markets. Though losses over the past few days have been relatively mild, investors are looking for Wall [...]
Though ETFs may appear as very simple and straightforward investment vehicles, there is a rather complex infrastructure that lies beneath the surface. Under the hood of exchange-traded products is a unique “creation / redemption” mechanism that allows for the number of shares outstanding to fluctuate based on supply and demand. Generally, this mechanism serves a [...]
Thus far, we are off to our worst week of the year, as uncertainty surrounding Greece led to a massive sell-off during Tuesday’s session. Though we have the opportunity to make up lost ground, it will have to come in the form of important economic data that has the chance to turn sour, and steepen [...]
Equities held onto gains throughout Thursday’s trading session despite a cornucopia of mixed economic data releases on the home front. The Nasdaq continued its rise into multi-year highs territory, gaining 0.74% on the day, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged behind, inching higher by only 0.22%. Gold prices bounced back slightly following yesterday’s brutal sell-off; futures [...]
Bullish euphoria continues to permeate Wall Street as major indexes finished the day in bright green territory, settling above key resistance levels. The Nasdaq led the way higher, gaining 0.7% on the day, bolstered by Apple, which hit an all-time high of $535.38 a share [see also How An Apple Dividend Would Impact ETFs]. The [...]
Despite better-than-expected economic data on the home front, equity indexes were mixed and investors on Wall Street were reluctant to jump aboard the Dow and help push it through the 13,000 mark. The S&P 500 led the way higher, gaining 0.14% on the day, while the “blue chip” benchmark finished the day off by 0.01%. [...]
With more than 1,400 exchange-traded products now available to U.S. investors, odds are that there will be more than one option for most desired exposures. In many cases, the generally similar products targeting a specific asset class or strategy will deliver generally similar returns. But just because two ETFs have names that sound alike or [...]
Today saw markets end slightly up as investors anxiously await next week’s holiday shortened string of trading days. Markets were rather calm as the world holds their breath for the outcome of Monday’s meeting of European officials who will either sign off on a Greek debt deal, or reject the proposed package, which could shatter [...]
Natural gas has been one of the most talked about commodities this year, as its prices have been on a slippery slope, bringing them down to historical lows. NG futures have sank more than 17% on the year as investors have been scrambling in and out of positions which have continually turned sour. The issues [...]
Equity indexes on Wall Street oscillated between minor gains and losses early in the day, however, cautious words from the Fed tipped stocks south right before lunch time. Selling pressures accelerated across the board as investors grew worried that without another round of quantitative easing the economic recovery could loose steam and falter [see also Five ETFs [...]
