The rumors have been swirling for years: Facebook will IPO next month, next quarter, next year. But each time it seems that investors are disappointed with no such event. However, 2012 may finally see the long-awaited IPO from the social networking giant. Before you roll your eyes and click out of the page, consider some new developments that make this event very likely. Other than unnamed sources confirming an IPO in early to mid 2012, the company’s private stock has been frozen for the past three days, a move that typically coincides with a filing to go public in the near future. “Facebook and companies who do this don’t want to expose themselves to lawsuits related to the fact that some people had it before others and were able to trade on it,” Sam Hamadeh, CEO of private company research firm PrivCo, told Bloomberg. “The best way to protect yourself is to have no one able to trade” [see also 12 High-Yielding Commodities For 2012].
Despite some rather significant bumps along the road in 2011, many asset classes are now well into positive territory on a one year trailing basis as January draws to a close, riding high thanks to a strong finish to last year and start to 2012. Included on that list are a number of leveraged ETFs that […]
This week got off to a rocky start as Greece and Germany remained at odds regarding the fiscal future of the currency bloc. Many investors fear that without a significant aid package, Greece will endure a widespread default which has the potential to sink markets around the world. Despite the issues persisting overseas, the focus […]
Equity markets got off to a choppy start as major indexes oscillated between minor gains and losses throughout the first trading day of the week. Investor sentiment turned for the worst on Monday as resurfacing Greek debt woes brought the limelight onto the debt burdened currency bloc once again. Stocks tipped to the downside as […]
After an up-down performance across equity markets last week, investors will look to revive bullish momentum on Wall Street as earnings season continues full speed ahead. The spotlight will also turn to Fed Chair Ben Bernanke as he is set to testify before Congress on Thursday, an event that usually comes away with a detailed […]
ProShares announced the launch this week of its German Sovereign/Sub-Sovereign ETF (GGOV), which will offer U.S. investors exposure to one of the world’s largest bond markets. The new ETF is linked to the Markit iBoxx EUR Germany Sovereign & Sub-Sovereign Liquid Index, a benchmark that consists of debt issued by the German government or by local governments […]
Though the year is still very young, 2012 has gotten off to a promising start for investors. Major stock indexes have generally climbed higher throughout the first few weeks thanks to a number of encouraging data releases and reduced anxiety over the potential fallout from the European debt crisis [see also Early ETF Stars of […]
The past few weeks have seen a nice rally to start off the new year. With a number of encouraging earnings and data reports, stocks have been on a tear, with the S&P hitting 1,300 for the first time in several months. But last Friday’s GDP report, though representing strong growth, may have adverse effects […]
The GLD-Free Gold Bug ETFdb Portfolio is now available to ETFdb Pro members and those with a free 7-day trial of the Pro subscription. This new portfolio, one of more than 40 all-ETF model portfolios available at ETFdb.com, is designed for investors who wish to construct a gold-centric portfolio that rounds out exposure across various […]
Broad U.S. equity markets finished out the week flat as new U.S. economic data came in short of expectations. The nation’s GDP rose to 2.8% in the last three months of 2011, falling short of the expected 3% increase, leading many investors to think twice about the economy’s current condition and the status of its […]
Equity markets endured another back-and-forth week as investors digested mixed earnings and lackluster economic data releases. Industry giants Apple and Caterpillar both surpassed analyst expectations, while AT&T, Verizon, and SanDisk all missed the mark. Investors also fretted over the latest new home sales report for the month of December, which came in below the previous […]