The growth of the ETF universe has spawned dozens of products that have helped to open up the doors to previously hard-to-reach asset classes for the average, self-directed investor. Through the use of a single ticker, anyone with an online brokerage account can now access virtually any asset class from around the world, whether it’s frontier markets, rare earth metals, or foreign bonds.
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In some instances, strong GDP growth has fueled bull markets, while in other cases, these two seemingly-correlated investment factors have not behaved as many would expect.
On March 12, 1996, iShares launched a suite of 17 single-country focused ETFs, all of which still trade to this day. It marked iShares’ entrance into the ETF world and the third launch in the history of the industry. A lot has happened since these funds made their debut, including recessions, bull runs, and a number […]
With over 1,600 exchange-traded funds to choose from, investors can essentially tap into any corner of the investable universe. Perhaps one of the most popular markets has been ETFs that offer exposure to equities outside of the U.S.. Not only do these funds add great diversification benefits, but they are significantly less expensive than mutual […]
When it comes to foreign equity exposure, many investors tend to dismiss, or simply aren’t aware of, the impact that foreign currency exchange fluctuations can have on their investments’ bottom-line returns. The fact of the matter is that in many cases a country’s currency can be a direct driver of stock market returns, while other […]
All eyes were on the Federal Reserve last 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 […]
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 […]
Following a holiday-shortened trading week, Wall Street will close once again this Wednesday in celebration of the New Year. After a whirlwind of a year, investors will more than likely turn their attention once again to the Federal Reserve, as the central bank begins tapering its bond-buying program. In January, the Fed will purchase $40 billion worth […]
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 […]
Trading was relatively subdued last week, with U.S. markets closed on Thanksgiving day. Investors did, however, witness the Nasdaq Composite Index breach 4,000 for the first time in 13 years, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded above the 16,000 level, a record high logged earlier in November. On the economic front, home building permits rose […]
U.S. equities were in for several up and down sessions last week, as investors weighed the slew of earnings and economic reports. On the earnings front, Exxon Mobil (XOM) posted better-than-expected Q3 profit and revenue, despite an 18% decline in profits. Meanwhile, ConocoPhillips (COP), Apple (AAPL), and Facebook (FB) also beat analysts’ revenue and earnings estimates. […]