The last 30 days capped a U.S. rally that hasn’t been seen in 70 years. Yet investment managers had a larger hankering for emerging market country ETFs in the final week of September… a sign that “window dressing” is very much alive. During the last 3-5 days of a given month, investment professionals often adjust portfolio holdings so that asset management clients [...] Continue Reading...
Russia, Brazil, India, Hong Kong, Mexico — investors are far more aware of Emerging Market ETFs today. Yet those with an even greater tolerance for risk may consider looking to the “frontier” for extreme rewards. Frontier market countries typically include those in Africa and the Middle-East… and there are already a variety of ways to whet one’s appetite. Market Vectors Africa Index [...] Continue Reading...
The debate about dollar devaluation — its risks, its rewards — isn’t going to end anytime soon. The Fed’s intention to begin a second round of “quantitative easing (QE)“ assures us of that. Yet investors who may feel queasy about jumping into gold at $1310 per ounce can consider other beneficiaries of a weaker dollar. In fact, [...] Continue Reading...
Investors are looking away from developed word stock assets. Some may be searching for greater diversification, while others may be pursuing high-flying returns. Still others may be seeking “alpha” in a quest for risk-adjusted performance excellence. Typically, funds like iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEM), Vanguard Emerging Markets (VWO) as well as the iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index (FXI) steal the show. [...] Continue Reading...
Throughout September, a monster rally for stock assets captured most of the headlines. Nevertheless, commodities, corporate bonds, high yield bonds, foreign currencies… heck, most real estate investment trusts… are all logging 52-week highs. The “all-assets-are-climbing” phenomenon goes hand-in-hand with the Fed’s implied use of additional quantitative easing. Simply stated, the Fed’s planned monetary stimulus to buy U.S. treasuries [...] Continue Reading...
Global M&A activity is pushing $1.3 trillion in 2010, up 23% from the same time last year. Those kinds of numbers spark investor interest, though they don’t always spark investor profits. Consider Southwest Airlines. Its recent announcement regarding the acquisition of a chief competitor received prominent attention in financial headlines. However, the expenditure may or may not lead to bigger gains for Southwest. Could airline industry investors look [...] Continue Reading...
I try to be open about my investing biases. I prefer Asia ETFs to most Latin America ETFs, perhaps because I’ve lived in Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan. I’ve been a frequent advocate for income-producing U.S. assets like iShares S&P Preferred (PFF) and JP Morgan Alerian MLP (AMJ), often at the expense of reasonably valued common stock [...] Continue Reading...
Oil may be stuck in a trading range. Yet most commodities have been hitting 52-week highs. In fact, short-term traders should expect Commodity ETF/ETNs to take a “breather.” Of course, the most talked about 52-week high has been the yellow metal. Its run at $1300 per ounce has energized the legions of “gold bugs,” as the discussion has [...] Continue Reading...
International ETFs, ETF Signs of Stock Fear, Government Intervention Hurts Some ETFs, Industrial ETFs, Utilities ETFs Click here to listen to the show: 9-26-10 Continue Reading...
The PowerShares Dollar Bullish Fund (UUP) has fallen 11% since early June. For worse or for better, the U.S. dollar’s value on the world stage is the same as it was at the start of 2010. By itself, this fact isn’t all that alarming. Yet the Federal Reserve’s orchestrated maneuvers in the light of day — [...] Continue Reading...
