Archive | May, 2010

May 30, 2010 – ETF Podcast

Oil ETFs, Transport ETFs, Industrial ETFs, Sectors ETFs, Best ETFs, Worst ETFs Click here to listen to the show: 5-30-10 Continue Reading...

May 2010 ETFs: The Ugly, The Hideous and The Egregious

At the beginning of the month, the prices on the vast majority of sector ETFs rested comfortably above short-term and long-term trendlines. By the end of May 2010… the worst since May 1962… only the prices on a handful of economic segment ETFs managed to hold above respective 200-day moving averages. Here is the woeful tale of relative regression over 1 [...] Continue Reading...

Picking and Choosing in the ETF Bargain Bin

Those who believed in seasonal patterns may have “sold in May, then went away.” They are the lucky ones. May 2010 was the worst since May 1962! With epic volatility in a 5-week correction, are there any bargains to be found? How many percentage points off the high are your favorite Sector ETFs? On Friday, May 28th, 2010, we take [...] Continue Reading...

Bull Market ETFs, Bear Market ETFs: A Total Absence Of Conviction

Hedge funds aren’t done buying or selling. And they aren’t particularly interested in making huge bets in this environment… on the long or the short side. So what are hedge funds looking to do if they aren’t trying to make money? Right now, they are far more interested in keeping their powder puffs dry. And that means… they’re still [...] Continue Reading...

Will There Be A “Top Kill” Cap On Your Oil ETF?

The summer driving season typically brings a rise in oil prices. Between Iran tensions, North Korean provocations and a never-ending oil spill in the Gulf, how many folks were forecasting the downtrend in oil? Yet crude prices seem to have found a floor near $70. Not to mention that OPEC likes that number. Could it mean that Oil ETFs are ready [...] Continue Reading...

5 Surprising Stock ETFs That Are Still “Trending” Higher

The Dow Industrials has dropped below 10,000 for the first time since February 8. Worse yet, the overwhelming majority of stock ETFs are noticeably lower than they were just one month ago. That said, many trend-followers look to the 200-Day moving average to determine the long-term direction of their specific investment. Here are 5 that may or may not surprise [...] Continue Reading...

How Hedge Fund Trading Affects Your ETFs

Volatility has returned… as has the blame game. Of course, when we witness 150 point moves in the last 15 minutes of trading, there’s little doubt that the “big money” is participating. Some speculate that this has a lot to do with hedge funds unwinding both long and short positions. But it may be more than that. Stephen Taub [...] Continue Reading...

Will Atlas Shrug? Oil ETF, Industrials ETF and Transportation ETF

Black Monday in October of 1987 had a profound impact on the way I viewed investing. It didn’t make me a perma-bear, nor did the 90s turn me into a perma-bull. Yet October 19, 1987, cemented in my mind the need to minimize downside risk. Diversification via low-correlating assets may have been a key tool in the shed, [...] Continue Reading...

The Top ETF Holdings At Harvard May Surprise You

As one of the premier educational institutions on the planet, Harvard offers insight on everything from philosophy to marine biology. Yet what their brightest minds believe you should invest in might surprise you. On Tuesday, May 25th, 2010, we examine the top ETF holdings for the Harvard endowment. See where their holdings stack up against the best and worst [...] Continue Reading...

Percentages Off the Highs For Popular Sector ETFs

Scores of CNBC panelists continue to say that this is a normal ”correction.” And many emphasize that the current ”correction” represents an excellent buying opprotunity. Granted, I agree that the current equity pullback is more likely to be a corerctive phase, not the start of the next bear. The problem that I have with CNBCers is the definition of “normal.” If the Dow and the S&P 500 drop 10% and [...] Continue Reading...

ETF Expert