During the stock bear and credit crisis of 10/07-3/09, the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) helped investors protect their profits. While most economists still believe that a so-called “double-dip” is unlikely, could GLD and its twin brother IAU shine if the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) rises dramatically? Another vehicle that gold bugs talk about are the miners. However, in spite of dazzling earnings, Gold Miner ETFs haven’t [...] Continue Reading...
Cash yields 0% and 10-year treasuries yield 2.75%. The paltry returns make it likely that the money will flow somewhere else before too long. Yet economic uncertainty has been scaring investors away from stock assets. Heck, if the cash-hoarding corporation won’t buy back more of its own shares because of a perceived need to self-finance in dangerous credit waters, [...] Continue Reading...
Treasury ETFs were one of the few asset groups left standing after Wednesday’s ”risk” rout. Stocks, high yield corporates, commodities, foreign currencies — none of them survived the consistent stream of terrible macroeconomic news. With the U.S. economic recovery slowing, and with U.S. government debt already posting strong results in 2010, is there any more room for Treasury ETFs to run? Under what circumstances are [...] Continue Reading...
A wide variety of gold miners served up sparkling Q2 reports during the recent earnings season. Newmont Mining posted a 34% year-over-year sales increase, and promptly raised its dividend. TheStreet.com noted that precious metal miner Goldcorp (GG) increased its net income over 2009’s 2nd quarter by 457%. Meanwhile, Canadian miner Kinross Gold (KGC) posted 25% earnings per share growth. In spite of what [...] Continue Reading...
With Commodity ETNs posting dramatic month-over-month performance percentages, should you look for non-precious metal exposure? Wheat is a trendy choice, following a “drought-fire” combo in Russia. Yet tin and nickel exchange-traded products have also raked in the cash lately. Tin And Nickel ETFs Win The Day - Trang Ho, Investor’s Business Daily Utility ETFs: Growth and Income, All In One - Tom Lydon, ETF Trends Bond [...] Continue Reading...
On Wednesday, 8/11/2010, the S&P 500 fell back below its 200-day moving average. The omnipotent gauge for top U.S. stocks only managed to hold above the level for 6 trading days. Perhaps ironically, this is the second time in the current corrective period that the S&P 500 climbed above its trendline… then fell below it shortly thereafter. [...] Continue Reading...
ETFs are a fantastic way to address some of your biggest concerns with minimizing your capital gains and optimizing your tax efficiency. If you wish to proactively plan for a variety of tax issues, don’t miss Morningstar’s latest piece on ETFs and tax planning. Separately, some writers suggest that you pour some sugar on your portfolio. Keep in mind, though, [...] Continue Reading...
Unlike our “pound-foolish, penny-wise” government, U.S. families slashed their monthly expenses and slowed the consumer-based economy. At least that’s the general assumption. Yet American consumers have not cut back on every line item across the family budget. Since the recession’s inception in Q4 2007, citizens have increased their spending on mobile phone equipment by 17%. They’ve also [...] Continue Reading...
In a world where U.S. bulls may be in for a wild ride , could investors find long-term stock growth from markets like Qatar, Egypt and Colombia? For those who believe that dramatic changes are afoot, Frontier ETFs may be worthy of examination. Frontier ETFs: The New Emerging Markets - Will McClatchy, ETF Zone What’s Really Driving The Price Of Oil? - Julian [...] Continue Reading...
With China and India comprising 2 of the major BRICs in the wall, are there any investment advantages to choosing one over the other? If economic size matters, China is already the 2nd largest economy in the world. India, on the other hand, is still looking to crack the Top 10 List of world economies.Nevertheless, this may be akin to [...] Continue Reading...
