Archive | January, 2010

January 31, 2010 – ETF Podcast

January 2010 ETFs, Stock Market Commentary Click here to listen to the show: 1-31-10 Continue Reading...

What’s In Store For ETFs As Fear Grips The Stock Market?

Many investors are petrified… like a deer in the proverbial headlights. It hasn’t mattered that the Fed has kept rates at historic lows or that 4 out 5 companies have soundly beaten earnings expectations. It hasn’t mattered that Ben Bernanke was reappointed chairman of the Federal Reserve or that initial Q4 GDP growth came in at a [...] Continue Reading...

A Forgettable Month For Natural Resources ETFs

The population of the world is growing at a rapid pace. Billions of people require more of just about every imaginable natural resource — oil, gas, grains, livestock, metals, materials and water. Most people believe it will be difficult, if not impossible, for suppliers to meet the needs of businesses or consumers. And yet, a bump [...] Continue Reading...

Assessing Real Estate ETFs

Greed might have been good for those that bet against real estate in 2008. However, some investors discovered that Short Real Estate ETFs did not work the way they had anticipated. Of course, market-based real estate trusts did rather well in 2009. But what are the prospects for 2010? Do Real Estate ETFs have a foundation to build on… [...] Continue Reading...

Which Currency Can Fund The Carry Trade? (FXY, UUP, FXF)

What is an inevitable result of trillions in worldwide stimulus? Money, and/or the easy access to it, finds its way into market-based securities. In brief, if people can borrow a well-established currency at negligible interest rates, they often invest the proceeds in assets that may appreciate in value (e.g., stocks, commodities); they may also invest in assets that offer [...] Continue Reading...

After Obama Speaks… The State Of ETFs

President Obama’s stated agenda may affect Health Care ETFs, Energy ETFs and Financial ETFs. Yet you don’t have to go “inside the Beltway” to get the latest scoop on potential ETF winners and losers. Supporters and detractors of Obama both need to read up on these ETF features for 1/28/10: State Of The Union Address – Winners And Losers - Matthew [...] Continue Reading...

New Risk Grades For Tech ETF and Financials ETF

Back in September, I wrote a column on why SPDR Select Technology (XLK) was not particularly risky. At the time, the standardized measure for XLK at RiskGrades.com was 1/2 the level of SPDR Select Financials (XLF). Yet things can… and do… change quickly. Today, XLF chimes in with a risk score of 126, whereas XLK is at 91. Tech has similar volatility as [...] Continue Reading...

ETF Bet On Higher Interest Rates

Bernanke and Co. are slowly ending a wide variety of quantitative easing programs. And if the economy can stand on its own two feet, target interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve will follow. Sure, it may not come until after the 2010 elections in November, but they’re going to come. The question is, should you bet on [...] Continue Reading...

China Has Been Driving Materials ETFs and Mining ETFs Lower

This may not be what political wonks want to hear. However, U.S. politics has not been the primary market mover as portrayed by the mainstream media over the last week. Due to the fact that most U.S. benchmarks rocketed to a new 52-week highs (15-month highs) on Tuesday, 1/19/10, many assume that the recent declines are tied to [...] Continue Reading...

Are Copper ETNs A Pipeline To Profits?

Copper has been on a monumental run since March of last year. Those that have hung onto the high use metal since that time have seen their investmemt more than double. With China concerned about inflation and property speculation, howwever, its government is tightening monetary policy. What’s more, volatility in the stock and commodity markets have picked up dramatically. Is now [...] Continue Reading...

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