TWOL, TWOZ: Leveraged & Inverse Short Term Bond ETFs
Direxion Shares broke some new ground on 2/25/2010 with the first 3x leveraged and inverse ETFs to track short-term Treasury bond prices. Direxion Daily 2-Year Treasury Bull 3x Shares (TWOL) and Direxion Daily 2-Year Treasury Bear 3x Shares (TWOZ) are now available for those who wish to bet on shorter-term...
EUO: Profit as The Euro Plunges
The Euro, currently used by 22 countries, is one of the most important world currencies. It was introduced to global financial markets in 1999 and reached major-currency status in record time. The Euro is now the second-most heavily traded currency in the foreign exchange (forex) market next to the dollar. Now...
BRXX: New Brazil Infrastructure ETF
Proving once again that emerging markets are fertile ground for new ETFs, yesterday (2/24/10) brought the launch of EGS INDXX Brazil Infrastructure Index Fund (BRXX) by Emerging Global Shares. This follows last week’s introduction of a similar fund tracking China infrastructure stocks (CHXX). The...
PCEF: Closed-End Funds Inside An ETF
Yesterday (2/19/2010) was the first day of trading for PowerShares CEF Income Composite Portfolio (PCEF). This is an ETF whose portfolio consists of closed-end funds. In other words, PCEF is a “fund of funds.” Closed-end funds (CEF) have been around for decades, and were in fact an ancestor...
EGPT: Egypt Now Available to ETF Investors
Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (EGPT), the first single-country fund offering US investors exposure to Egypt, was launched yesterday (February 18, 2010). The underlying index includes publicly traded companies domiciled and primarily listed on an Egyptian exchange or that generate at least 50% of their...
CHXX: Emerging Global Launches China Infrastructure ETF
Recent hiccups aside, the China growth story still fascinates investors. It’s not hard to see why: So many people moving from agrarian survival to modern cities in the space of a single generation is momentous. Today (2/17/2010) brought a new way to get your money involved with the launch...
GSD: Another Unneeded ETF from Old Mutual
GlobalShares FTSE Developed Countries ex US Fund (GSD) began trading on Thursday (2/11/2010). This ETF is designed to offer exposure to 23 developed countries, including Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, without US stocks. Its underlying index, the FTSE Developed ex US Index,...
New ProShares ETFs Go 3X
Some people just can’t get enough leverage, apparently. Today ProShares unveiled eight new ETFs offering long and inverse exposure to popular stock indexes with 300% daily leverage objectives. Day traders should be pleased. The new bullish funds are: ProShares UltraPro Dow30 (UDOW) ProShares...
GSR Undergoes Ill-Advised 5:1 Split
The board of GlobalShares FTSE Emerging Markets Fund (GSR) recently approved a 5:1 split. Trading on a split-adjusted basis will commence next Wednesday, February 17, 2010. The action will reduce the trading price from around $100 per share to about $20 per share. According to a company press release,...
ETF Deathwatch for February 2010
The number of exchange traded products on ETF Deathwatch dropped below 100 for the first time since November 2008. Whether this drop is permanent or temporary remains to be seen. I believe it to be a temporary event caused by a slowdown in new product introductions a year ago. Some 70 new funds...
