ETF Database » XLF

Fund Managers Turn Bullish As “Risk Appetite” Increases

Stoyan Bojinov — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:00:44 +0000

Although uncertainty continues to linger across financial markets, investors’ confidence in the global economic recovery has without a doubt improved considerably going forward, shaking off much of last year’s pessimism. Debt negotiations in the Euro zone have played a key role in ensuring stability, while better-than-expected economic data releases on the home front have helped to reignite optimism. According to a recent survey by Bank of America, global investors have started 2012 with fairly bullish prospects and greater appetite for risk [see also 12 Rapid Fire ETF Ideas For 2012]. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch Fund Manager Survey, which was conducted earlier in January of this year, shows that of the participating 214 institutional investors, reveals that few are predicting a global slowdown. Bullish Sentiment Is Building The survey revealed that only 3% of the participants believe economic growth will weaken in 2012; this is a drastic improvement from [...]

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The 10 Most Actively Traded ETFs In The World

Jared Cummans — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:31 +0000

ETF investing has surged in recent years as the industry has experienced exponential growth in nearly all aspects of the universe. Now, there are over 1,400 products with more than $1 trillion in combined assets to offer exposure to just about every corner of the market an investor could ever want. But while these products had originally been designed for more traditional, “buy and hold”, investors in mind, they have evolved into trading instruments as well. Many traders utilize exchange traded products for exposure given their transparency, ease of trade, and low expense structures [see also 12 High-Yielding Commodities For 2012]. When it comes time to find the perfect trading instrument, many will start with average daily volume and then work their way through the fund’s holdings. Now it should be noted that ADV and ETFs do not necessarily align; because ETFs can undergo creation, a fund with a low [...]

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Three ETFs To Watch This Week: EWQ, FXI, XLF

Jared Cummans — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:00:07 +0000

This week sees earnings season kick into full gear, and most companies will be trying to shake off the blow that JP Morgan delivered with light revenues on Friday. Earnings season is always a major market mover, but for the US, the past few strong earnings periods have been overshadowed by things like the euro crisis. Financials will be especially key this week as investors will be anxious to hear the projections from big banks and how the euro crisis will affect domestic equities. Below, we outline three ETFs to keep a close eye on as a big week unfolds [see also Lessons Learned From Gold in 2011]: MSCI France Index Fund (EWQ) Why EWQ Will Be In Focus: Early on Friday, it was confirmed by an anonymous EU government source that France would lose its coveted ‘AAA’ rating. Speculation had been swirling ever since December when Standard and Poor’s announced [...]

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AdvisorShares Rolls Out SectorSAM ETF (SSAM)

Michael Johnston — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:35:15 +0000

AdvisorShares, one of the largest issuers of actively-managed ETFs, has forged a partnership to bring an active sector rotation ETF to market. The new Rockledge SectorSAM ETF (SSAM), which began trading Thursday, will seek to generate stable and consistent returns in all market conditions, developing a dollar neutral portfolio comprised of sector ETFs. The new ETF will utilize the Sector Scoring and Allocation Methodology (“SSAM”), a technique based on a proprietary quantitative analysis model that forecasts the projected returns to various sectors of the U.S. economy. The ETF will establish long positions in sector ETFs that are expected to outperform the S&P 500 and short positions in those that are expected to underperform that benchmark. The result is a dollar neutral portfolio that will effectively capture the delta between the long and short positions–meaning that SSAM has the potential to deliver positive returns regardless of whether the S&P 500 is rallying [...]

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Three ETFs Crushed By BAC’s 2011 Freefall

Michael Johnston — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:00:47 +0000

One of the many appealing attributes of ETFs is the ability to achieve broad exposure through the purchase of a single ticker, thereby whittling away any company-specific risk that comes with individual stock picking. While the “instant diversification” provided by ETFs and mutual funds can go a long way towards minimizing the impact of a single security on bottom line returns, it is important to note that certain ETFs can still feel the pinch from poor performances out of a single stock. For starters, not all ETFs are created equal in terms of balance and depth of the underlying portfolios. While some stock ETFs have thousands of individual holdings and don’t assign a weight of more than 1% to any single security, others are more top heavy in a few big names. For example, Exxon Mobil (XOM) accounts for about 19% of the Energy SPDR (XLE), with Chevron making up [...]

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Daily ETF Roundup: XLF Jumps On U.S. Data, GLD Slumps On Profit Taking

Stoyan Bojinov — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:37:08 +0000

Equity markets charged higher on Thursday, recouping losses from yesterday, as optimism swept over Wall Street following better-than-expected jobless claims data. The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 Index tied, both gaining 0.83% on the day, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged behind, clinching gains of 0.51%. Gold futures drifted lower amidst the holiday cheer, settling near $1,605 an ounce as the trading session drew to a close. Crude oil on the the other hand crept higher alongside equities, finishing the day right around $99.50 a barrel. Employment data on the home front struck a positive chord with investors as the number of people applying for unemployment benefits in the U.S. dropped to 364,000, the lowest level since April 2008 [see also ETFs To Invest Like Ron Paul]. “The underlying story here, we think, is that businesses were braced in the fall for a weakening in demand — implied by [...]

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November ETF Stats: Small Step Back

Michael Johnston — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:00:34 +0000

U.S. ETF assets declined slightly in November according to the latest data from the National Stock Exchange, as the rapidly-growing industry experienced net outflows amidst a general flight from both domestic and international equities. The industry finished last month with $1.06 trillion in net assets, down about 2% from the previous month but up 12% from the same period last year. The net decline in assets was attributable to domestic equity ETFs, which saw $7 billion in outflows, and international equities, which saw another $1.9 billion. Those big losses were offset by tremendous interest in commodities and bonds; fixed income ETFs raked in more than $5 billion in cash inflows, while exchange-traded commodity products captured almost $2.9 billion [see Ten Unexpected Observations In YTD Returns]. Four ETFs saw outflows of at least $1 billion on the month–all of them domestic equity funds. The S&P 500 SPDR (SPY) saw assets decline [...]

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Daily ETF Roundup: XLF Rises On Euro Hopes, UNG Sinks To All Time Low

Jared Cummans — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:00:54 +0000

Today saw yet another strong day for markets as hopes that the euro zone will come to an efficient solution fueled markets higher. Unfortunately, as the day came to a close, S&P issued a warning that it has put a number of European countries on credit watch. S&P is perhaps best known for their downgrade of U.S. debts, the first ever by a U.S. ratings agency. Many lashed out at the company, especially after Fitch and Moody’s upheld their top-rated rankings. Despite a late sell-off, the S&P 500 was able to come away with a 1% gain and the Dow grasped 78 points on the day [see also Equal Weight ETFs: Comparing Similar (But Different) Strategies]. Unfortunately, the late sell-off had adverse effects on gold and oil. Oil had been having a great day as it broke though $102/barrel intraday, only to finish the day down $0.35. Gold faced a nasty sell-off as well, [...]

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Daily ETF Roundup: XLF Posts Another Big Gain, GDX Tumbles On Weak Canadian Jobs

Jared Cummans — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:06:32 +0000

Today saw markets finish out their best week in nearly three years, though the day remained relatively flat. Friday started off on a strong note as U.S. unemployment came in surprisingly low, but markets ended up falling as profit-taking ensued. But its hard to blame anyone for selling out after the massive week we have seen; there was certainly plenty to go around. All in all, the Dow finished out the day with a 61 point loss while the S&P dipped by just 30. Gold and oil both saw decent gains as crude finished out its week above $101/barrel, marking a massive gain over the past few months for the important fossil fuel [see also Euro Bond ETFs: Big Yields, Big Risks]. After putting such a strong week in the books many investors are anxiously awaiting to see if this was just a fluke, or if we really are on [...]

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Daily ETF Roundup: XLF Posts Monster Gain, UNG Takes Another Hit

Jared Cummans — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:00:07 +0000

Despite recent market woes, today saw a stellar performance across the board. Major indexes posted their best day in recent memory with the Dow surging by nearly 500 points and the S&P 500 jumping by 4.3%, leaving the index just shy of 1,250. Just weeks ago investors were worried when the S&P dipped below 1,250, but it seems that the world is finally getting itself back on track. 10 year bonds saw another stellar day with gains topping 3.5% as fixed income follows in the footsteps of equities. On the commodity side of things, both gold and oil finished up on the day, keeping investors on all sides of the equation relatively happy [see also Euro Bond ETFs: Big Yields, Big Risks]. Today’s market gains came from the surprising announcement that a number of central banks from around the world would collaborate on a deal to help boost the global [...]

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ETF Database » XLF

Fund Managers Turn Bullish As “Risk Appetite” Increases

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The 10 Most Actively Traded ETFs In The World

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Three ETFs To Watch This Week: EWQ, FXI, XLF

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AdvisorShares Rolls Out SectorSAM ETF (SSAM)

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Daily ETF Roundup: XLF Jumps On U.S. Data, GLD Slumps On Profit Taking

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November ETF Stats: Small Step Back

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Daily ETF Roundup: XLF Rises On Euro Hopes, UNG Sinks To All Time Low

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Daily ETF Roundup: XLF Posts Another Big Gain, GDX Tumbles On Weak Canadian Jobs

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Daily ETF Roundup: XLF Posts Monster Gain, UNG Takes Another Hit

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