Last week saw a strong opening soured by economic data as the five-day trading string came to a close. Though unemployment dipped to 8.1%, hiring slowed more than expected in April, ultimately sending markets lower on the final day of the week. Earnings season is essentially over, so investors will have to focus on data on the home front and around the world. The coming week will be relatively quiet in comparison to weeks past, but that does not mean that traders will not have plenty of events and funds to focus on. Below, we outline three funds that are poised to have a big week as recent trends and global data put them in the limelight [see also 5 Market Experts You Need To Follow On Twitter]. [click to continue…]
Market swiftly moved south on the day as hiring slowed for the month of April, despite the dip in unemployment. What many realized was that the drop to 8.1% was not necessarily because of new hires, but because an increasing number of people have exited the labor force, as finding a job has been too [...]
Friday’s jobs report seems to have stopped the bull train dead in its tracks. After the best opening quarter in roughly 14 years, 2012 is now cast with uncertainty, as many doubt that economic data can support the current gains that major benchmarks are boasting on the year. The dreaded jobs report showed employment jump by 120,000, [...]
The ongoing evolution of the ETF industry has brought forth a host of previously difficult-to-reach asset classes right at the fingertips of mainstream investors. Commodities in particular have attracted serious interest lately as the exchange-traded product structure makes it easy and cost effective to access this corner of the market. The energy segment of the [...]
ETFs have become so popular in recent years in part because of the tax efficiencies that they offer relative to traditional mutual funds. Due to the nuances of the creation / redemption mechanism, ETFs are generally able to give investors more control over their tax situation–instead of pinning them with capital gains obligations due to [...]
For advisors utilizing ETFs in client portfolios, the details matter. Whether it be the difference in product structure, weighting methodology, or degree of currency exposure, seemingly minor details often end up having a rather significant impact on bottom line returns and overall volatility. The importance of nuanced elements of product structures is particularly important when [...]
Markets were finally able to snap their losing streak with mild gains on the day, though they were nowhere near enough to erase the losses the past few days have seen. With euro zone fears heating up around the world, this week has seen most major asset classes exhibiting something of a tailspin. Today saw [...]
This week was yet another volatile one as investors weighed in their opinions on the euro zone and how its actions would shape the global economy. Though the EU eventually came through with a deal, not all countries agreed, with the U.K. outright opting out, creating some concern that the deal did not go far enough to [...]
This past week presented yet another frustrating set of circumstances for investors to digest. Not only have European woes been weighing heavily on markets, but the U.S. debt committee has until Wednesday to pass an important budget haircut and for the time being, all signs point to a deadlock. August saw equities tumble when the [...]
Today started off on a rough note, as more troubles in Europe combined with the still unresolved debt crisis that has only a week left in its timetable. Stocks made a climb during midday to nearly break even, but then tumbled to finish out the day. The Dow lobbed off nearly 200 points while the S&P saw [...]
Although Hurricane Irene wasn’t nearly as devastating as some had feared, the storm did knock out power to millions and ground thousands of flights across the Northeast. Yet, the worst of the storm now appears to be over as flights are returning to the skies in major airports in New York, Washington D.C., and Boston, suggesting that [...]
