How bad is the current correction? It depends upon the assets you currently hold.
Here are the top 8 ETF positions for moderate risk clients at my Registered Investment Adviser, Pacific Park Financial, Inc.:
Moderate Portfolio: Percentages Below Respective Highs
Approx %
Vanguard High Dividend Yield (VYM)
-4.0%
iShares High Yield Corporate Bond (HYG)
-2.5%
iShares S&P Growth Allocation (AOR)
-3.4%
Vanguard Total U.S. Stock Market (VTI)
-6.4%
iShares [...] Continue Reading...
Until recently, investors showed little interest in hedging against a potential collapse in the S&P 500. Some might have even described the environment as complacent with the CBOE S&P 500 Volatility Index (VIX) spending most of the year in the “mid-teens.”
Now the VIX is back above 20. At that level, options participants anticipate an “annualized” change of 20% over [...] Continue Reading...
Last week, I wrote a piece on ETFs with remarkably positive trends in relative strength. Specifically, I highlighted 3 successful investments that rarely garner media coverage, yet deserved a bit more of the limelight. (See “Three ETFs With Momentum That You Probably Don’t Know Exist.”)
I received a great deal of direct feedback on this particular article. [...] Continue Reading...
Financial stocks rocketed ahead in the first quarter and Bank of America (BAC) recently received a high-profile upgrade. So why is the SPDR Select Sector Financials Fund (XLF) one of the worst performers over the last 5 days?
Aluminum giant, Alcoa, surprised Wall Street with its stronger-than anticipated earnings report. So why is the SPDR Select Sector [...] Continue Reading...
My clients have benefited from a healthy slice of exposure to risk in 2012. Top ETF holdings include assets like SPDR S&P China (GXC), Vanguard Dividend Growth (VIG), iShares High Yield Corporate (HYG) and Vanguard Growth (VUG).
My income-oriented winners like JP Morgan Alerian MLP (AMJ) and PowerShares CEF Income (PCEF) have been noticably slower on the [...] Continue Reading...
In 2011, S&P 500 profits expanded 15%. And yet, the benchmark’s price finished in the very same place that it started the year. In essence, since prices flat-lined and earnings experienced double-digit growth, a fundamentally inexpensive stock market via the price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) became even cheaper.
The most common reason cited for P/E contraction in 2011? The Euro Zone debt crisis.
Obviously, sovereign [...] Continue Reading...
On the first day of December, 2011, a number of brand name corporations hit new 52-week highs. Here are a few that caught my eye: McDonalds (MCD), Phillip Morris (PM), Diageo (DEO), Kraft (KFT) and Treehouse Foods (THS).
Keep in mind, most of the media attention centers on the discretionary spending of the consumer (e.g., “Black Friday” widescreens, ”Cyber Monday” acquisitions of [...] Continue Reading...
The troubles in Italy, Portugal and Greece are shockingly serious. How serious? Many insist that these 3 little piggies will eventually succumb to disorderly bankrupties, causing Armageddon for world stock markets and the global financial system.
For the doomsday crowd to be right, however, everything has to go wrong. Ev-er-y-thing!
For instance, coordinated Eurozone plans for aid to Greece would have [...] Continue Reading...
Motivational speakers frequently explain that the Chinese word for “crisis,” or “wei-ji,” represents a combination of “danger” (wei-xian) and “opportunity” (ji-hui). That said, how much opportunity can be found in crisis after catastrophe after calamity?
For instance, the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain) have been responsible for staggering levels of market volatility for 24 months. Time and again, one or more [...] Continue Reading...
The Greek referendum notwithstanding, most economists and Federal Reserve members have taken note of modest economic improvements. And while the slow-growth, limited-job environ is far from ideal, it should be enough to foster the well-being of many ETF assets.
Not convinced? Erratic price swings have shaken the olive out of your martini glass? Then opt for a simpler [...] Continue Reading...
