HEDJ: The Last ETF Launch of 2009
WisdomTree International Hedged Equity Fund (HEDJ), a “fund of funds”, launched today (December 31, 2009). It is designed to provide exposure to equity securities in Europe, Far East Asia and Australasia, while at the same time hedging exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar...
CHIQ: Buying the Chinese Consumer in 2010
Back in 2001, Goldman Sachs highlighted the growth potential of emerging markets in Brazil, Russia, India, and China, or BRIC. Goldman reasoned the combined BRIC economies could outpace the world’s richest economies by 2050. China is beating Goldman’s expectations on the road to 2050. In fact,...
Real Estate ETFs to Consider in 2010
The year 2009 brought a stellar rebound to US equity markets, with all the major sectors gaining ground. The most impressive returns happened in areas hardest hit during the late-2008 meltdown: Materials and Consumer Discretionary. However, the biggest sector winner by far was Technology with (as of...
Totally Obscene UMM DMM Expense Ratio
In the ETF world, which MacroShares strives to be a part of, low expense ratios are expected. Those in excess of 1% typically receive harsh criticism. Most sponsors recognize this fact and work tirelessly to reduce fees and cap expenses for their shareholders. MacroShares took a different route,...
UMM & DMM Trigger Early Termination
They are not ETFs. They are not ETNs. They are MacroShares, and after next week, they are gone. Bye-bye MacroShares. If that sounds like something you’ve read before, then you are correct, maybe more than once. The launch of MacroShares Major Metro Housing Up (UMM) and MacroShares Major Metro...
EZPW: Make Cash From A Pawn Shop
When the economy turns for the worse, it’s easy to spot the industries and the stocks that are going to suffer. High-end retailers, consumer discretionary names and the like usually take it on the chin when the going gets tough. Most investors know this. Finding the sectors and stocks that are...
Edgy for Boldest Newcomer Goes to Schwab
A year ago, DirexionShares received the Edgy Award for Boldest Newcomer of 2008 by entering the fray with 3x leverage. At the time, I thought the “boldest newcomer” category would have to be retired, thinking that no firm would be worthy of that title in the future. Then along came Schwab. Not a...
Buying Value for 2010
Investors are constantly labeled and grouped into certain camps. Bull or bear. Fundamental or technical. And of course value or growth. The truly successful investors find ways to merge all of these styles for the best portfolio diversification and protection, so it’s certainly a good idea to examine...
Edgy for Most Innovative Goes to Van Eck
With more than 900 ETFs and ETNs currently on the market, it’s getting tougher and tougher for a company to be truly innovative in this space. However, in this age of “me too” products, one company took a different path and provided investors with access to new markets. In 2009, Van Eck Global...
SCPB: A Short Term Corporate Bond ETF Arrives
State Street Global Advisors launched SPDR Barclays Capital Short Term Corporate Bond ETF (SCPB) yesterday (12/17/2009). Numerous new bond ETFs came on the market this year, but this one is especially welcome because it is a ‘corporate’ bond fund. The new SCPB ETF (fund overview) invests only...
