ETF Deathwatch – July 2009
The number of exchange-traded products on Deathwatch fell for the fourth month in a row and now stands at the lowest level since November 2008. This month’s list of 134 names is down from 150 last month and off from the record high of 171 in March. The current list consists of 101 ETFs and 33 ETNs...
EQL: New Equal Weight Sector ETF
Yet another permutation of the stock market began trading in ETF form today. ALPS Equal Weight Sector ETF (EQL) will try to gain an edge by breaking down large cap U.S. stocks by sector and then equally weighting them. It is a strategy that would have worked well in the past. Will it succeed in...
RSX: Your ETF Ticket to Russia
Ah, Russia. Home to those infamous cold winters, backdrop to so many dark classic novels and exporter of, among other things, vodka. But that’s not all investors should think of when it comes to Russia. Despite what often appears to be political calamity and corruption at nearly every turn,...
Citi Bites The Hands That Feed It
People on Fox News Channel and other conservative outlets charge that the government is taking control of private business. Those saying this should know better. The reality is quite the opposite: private businesses, and specifically a few large banks, have taken control of the government. Worse,...
ProShares Launches 2x Russell 3000 ETFs: UWC & TWQ
You can now gain leveraged and inverse-leveraged exposure to US stocks without having to choose a subset of large-cap, mid-cap or small-cap stocks. Two new ETFs from ProShares started trading today, providing +200% and -200% exposure to the Russell 3000 Index. ProShares Ultra Russell3000 (UWC) and...
ETF Stats – June 2009, $1.5 Trillion Traded
The number of US-listed exchange traded products increased by 13 in June after dropping by 14 the prior month. The total value of shares traded was $1.5 trillion, just below May’s $1.505 trillion. June brought the introduction of 16 new products, consisting of 14 ETFs and two MacroShares. One...
Working On The Railroads, China-Style (GSH)
Transportation stocks are usually a good barometer of overall economic health. Trucking companies, airfreight shipping firms, and railroad operators thrive when the economy thrives. Conversely, these are among the first to be hit when the economy falters. Slower business activity means less need...
JVS: First Islamic ETF Now Trading
Back in April we reported on FaithShares, a planned line of new ETFs aimed at various Christian denominations. Today the pool of monotheist-oriented ETFs expanded with the launch of Javelin Dow Jones Islamic Market International Index Fund (JVS) on the NYSE. More funds are planned from this new...
First Trust Introduces Community Banking ETF
A new ETF, the First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (QABA), began trading today. This is neither a megabank ETF nor a regional bank ETF – it is a “Main Street” banking ETF. The Investor Guide says community banks now make up 96% of all banks in the US and play an important...
