All eyes were on the Federal Reserve this week, as the central bank announced it would cut back further on its stimulus measures, which consequently sent emerging market equities into a tailspin. On Thursday, however, a positive fourth quarter U.S. GDP report helped stabilize markets; data showed the economy expanding 3.2% in the last quarter of 2013. In other economic news, initial jobless claims rose by 19,000 to 348,000 in the last week, slightly above expectations of 330,000 [see The Fed Effect: How Monetary Policy Impacts Your ETFs].
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Given stocks’ stellar rise over the last year, investors worried about a correction are asking me where they can park their money.
by Matt Tucker on January 29, 2014 | Updated January 31, 2014
A major fixed income strategy in 2013 was duration rotation, investors reducing the interest rate risk of their portfolios. As the term “duration” becomes increasingly prevalent in our conversations on The Blog and elsewhere, I thought it would be good to explain this concept.
With ETFs linked to nearly every commodity imaginable, previously hard-to-invest-in commodities now have the potential to be house-hold investments. While you used to need a futures trading account to trade oil, now anyone with an equity trading account can buy an oil ETF; same goes for gold as well as a host of other commodities […]
After eight years of serving at the helm of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke’s term will expire on Saturday, when his successor Janet Yellen will take over. Yellen (who is currently the Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve) will be the first woman to hold the position of Chairperson of the Federal Reserve, making February […]
Here is a look at ETFs that currently offer attractive short selling opportunities. The ETFs included in this list are rated as sell candidates for two reasons. First, each of these funds is deemed to be in a downtrend based on the fact that it is trading below its 200-day and 50-day moving averages, which […]
Here is a look at ETFs that currently offer attractive buying opportunities. The ETFs included in this list are rated as buy candidates for two reasons. First, each of these funds is deemed to be in an uptrend based on the fact that it is trading above its 200-day and 50-day moving averages, which are […]
Since the financial crisis of 2008, the global economy has faced several significant headwinds. Though the U.S. has showed signs of economic progress–as exemplified by the Fed’s decision to begin tapering–the eurozone continues to recover from its debt-crisis. In 2013, however, the eurozone finally managed to log in its first positive GDP reading after 18 months of […]
Wall Street was in for some up-and-down sessions during the holiday-shortened week, as mixed earnings and economic reports weighed heavily on the markets. On the economic front, data showed China’s manufacturing activity contracting in January, which caused the CBOE Volatility index to spike 11% – its biggest one-day jump since December 11. In earnings news, […]
Here is a look at ETFs that currently offer attractive income opportunities. The high-yield candidates included in this list meet two sets of criteria. First, each of these funds is deemed to be a high yield prospect because it boasts an annual dividend yield upwards of 5%.
Here is a look at the 25 best and 25 worst ETFs from the past trading week. Traders can use this list to find prospective candidates that have deviated too far from their longer-term trends, thereby serving as potential starting points for those looking to take on either short or long positions.