Just a week ago, the market was poised to go 8 for 8; that is, stocks hadn’t lost ground since February of ‘09. Then came the late October spook-fest. The S&P 500 SPDR Trust (SPY) lost -4.2% this week alone, while the the PowerShares Nasdaq 100 (QQQQ) shed -5.0%. Not since July have these market barometers finished a week below their respective 50-day moving averages. [...] Continue Reading...
Rarely does a day go by without news about health care reform. Will there be a “public option?” How much will it all cost? Do the Dems have the muscle to push past a filibuster? For investors, however, the questions surround which ETFs stand to prosper and which may not be left standing at all. Here on the [...] Continue Reading...
“So begins another 7% decline,” said Jim Cramer after Wednesday’s 10/28/09 close. However, I must admit, I was a bit confused when I read the tid-bit on CNBC.com. You see, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq had already fallen 5.0% and 5.4% from their closing prices on 10/19/09… more than a week earlier. Heck, the small-cap benchmark, the Russell [...] Continue Reading...
Exchange-trade notes may do a better job tracking an index. After all, you get the exact returns of the index minus the expense ratio. But, like an insurance contract, an ETN is a promise from a financial institution… and that means your investment is only as good as the ETN issuer. See if the ”credit risk” of [...] Continue Reading...
For 5 trading days, the U.S. dollar was in strong demand. And for 5 days, stocks and commodities were punished mercilessly. Consider just how quickly the sentiment shifted towards buying the U.S. dollar. The PowerShares DB Dollar Bullish Fund (UUP) had quietly gone about losing ground on a fairly regular basis for months; the exchange-traded fund typically traded [...] Continue Reading...
Some argue that alternative energy investments have no strength when oil is low. But, with oil trending higher and higher, might the stage be set for this economic segment to rally? We also look at one author’s thoughts regarding possible strength in Small Cap Indian ETFs. ETFs To Watch After First Solar’s Earnings Report - Benzinga Our Take On [...] Continue Reading...
The most battered sector ETFs over the last 5 days all relate to natural resources. Is it time to give up on the stuff that we excavate or drill for? In essence, there are 2 reasons for the tremendous hit to lumber providers, oil explorers, gold miners and steel producers. First, the U.S. dollar’s ascent for 4 consecutive days has [...] Continue Reading...
Some people think income investing is only for the elderly. Yet, others realize that the possibilities are enormous in areas of high yield, emerging market, preferreds and convertibles. What’s more, Schwab is launching its line of ETFs. What does Chuck have up his sleeve? Two High-Yield Funds To Watch - Don Dion, The Street Schwab ETFs Poised to Launch - John [...] Continue Reading...
Back in the day when bonds acted as a safer haven, investors often rotated out of stocks and into bonds. Since the March lows, however, all assets have gone up together. In fact, during the credit collapse, virtually everything went down together. Stocks, non-U.S. Treasury bonds, currencies, commodities, REITS, MLPs, preferred shares, precious metals – it really didn’t [...] Continue Reading...
Franklin Templeton’s Mark Mobius has made his reputation investing in emerging markets. In recent weeks he has spoken out about Russian and Eastern European countries. Find out what he has to say as well as which ETFs may be on his target list. Here are 3 intriguing ETF features on October 28, 2009: Invest Like Mark Mobius [...] Continue Reading...
