VQT: S&P 500 With A Volatility Hedge
Barclays yesterday (9/1/2010) launched the Barclays ETN+ S&P VEQTOR ETN (VQT) exchange-traded notes (ETNs) that are linked to the performance of the S&P 500 Dynamic VEQTOR Total Return Index (press release). Barclays takes “dynamic indexing” to a new level with VQT. The underlying index...
For-Profit Education, China-style (EDU)
August was ugly for most market sectors – the dollar may have been the only safe place. One group of stocks bludgeoned in a particularly nasty way was U.S. for-profit education stocks. Companies like Apollo Group (APOL), Corinthian Colleges (COCO) and Strayer Education (STRA) were first hammered...
Tracking the Walking Dead of the ETF World
Rhonda Schaffler of Reuters Insider TV interviewed me recently for a segment entitled Tracking the Walking Dead of the ETF World. The story aired on August 23, 2010. We discussed the exploding number of new ETFs and ETNs coming to market and how I identify the potentially troublesome products included...
Should You Retire Abroad?
A key factor in retirement happiness is where you retire. Familiarity, the relationships, and other factors tend to keep us planted at home when we retire. Most American retirees plan to spend their leisure years somewhere in the United States. However, a stateside retirement is not the only option. If...
Beware of MLPs in ETF Wrappers: AMLP
Many investors have been looking forward to the day when they could buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF) containing a basket of Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs). I am not one of them. Although I generally prefer ETFs over ETNs (exchange-traded notes), that is not the case when the investments being...
Van Eck Challenges Emerging Global Advisors for India Small Cap Dominance
Yesterday (8/25/10), Van Eck launched Market Vectors India Small-Cap Index ETF (SCIF), the second ETF to target India Small-Caps in as many months. Foreign single-country small cap funds are a relatively new growth area for the ETF industry. This marks the first time ETF investors will have a choice...
Emerging Market Telecom May Be Better Than U.S. (TLK)
Data point after data point shows plenty of reason for concern about the U.S. economy. Consumer sentiment, manufacturing activity, jobless claims, home sales, GDP, you name it: when the data disappoints – as it has recently – stocks suffer. The U.S. isn’t the only victim. Canada...
Book Review: The Ultimate Depression Survival Guide
My friend and colleague, Dr. Martin Weiss, wrote an excellent book last year which rapidly climbed the best-seller lists. The title is both lengthy and provocative: The Ultimate Depression Survival Guide: Protect Your Savings, Boost Your Income, and Grow Wealthy Even In The Worst Of Times. As you...
Grail and RiverPark To Liquidate Two ETFs (RPQ and RFF)
“By all appearances, the marketplace is not ready for these sector funds” stated the August 20 press release from Grail Advisors. It’s refreshing to see an honest statement on a subject that often falls victim to the spin machines. Shareholders of Grail RP Technology ETF (RPQ) or Grail RP Financials...
WMCR: Trying to Cheat Deathwatch
Representatives of most ETF firms don’t like seeing their products on ETF Deathwatch, although some follow the “any publicity is good publicity” theory. Then there is Claymore, a firm that seems to take avoiding ETF Deathwatch to great extremes. Last Friday (8/20), a Claymore press release trumpeted...
