History Not on Side of Consumer Staples ETFs
November 6, 2008 – Exchange traded fund (ETF) investors have had small fortunes ravaged by the bear, sometimes seemingly overnight. The fear that surfaces in volatile markets usually drives an investor to make an emotionally charged decision, selling stocks... Continue Reading »

Consumer Staples ETFs Outperform, But Still Are Down
November 4, 2008 – Despite a recession, financial pros are touting the consumer staples portfolios and exchange traded funds (ETFs) as good performers during the next few months. This year so far, some of the better performers are those funds... Continue Reading »

ETFs Give Investors Choices In Any Climate
November 1, 2008 – Exchange traded fund (ETF) investors can play defense with their fund choices by focusing on areas of the market that hold up better in a downturn than other sectors. Many market analysts believe we are in... Continue Reading »

Consumer Staples ETF Could Be Hit By Slower Food Spending
October 28, 2008 – The consumer staples sector has typically been considered a defensive play in a down economy, but what’s an exchange traded fund (ETF) to do when families start cutting back on food, of all things? According to... Continue Reading »

A ‘Poor’ Feeling Hits Retail ETFs
October 7, 2008 – During tough economic times consumers usually pull back on their spending, and this market is no exception, as exchange traded funds (ETFs) that track consumerism have pulled back, leaving room only for necessities. Falling home values,... Continue Reading »

Food Industry’s Value Approach Could Feed ETFs
October 1, 2008 – As food prices soar, food companies are trying to steer consumers toward cheaper, high-margin products, in hopes of raising profits and delivering a nice side effect to related exchange traded funds (ETFs). The latest advertising strategy... Continue Reading »

Consumer ETFs Watch Personal Income Data
August 29, 2008 – A drop in personal incomes has investors wondering about consumers and the impact on exchange traded funds (ETFs). Personal incomes fell by 0.7% in July, the largest amount in nearly three years, reports Tim Paradis for the Associated... Continue Reading »

Inflation, Housing Numbers Show ETFs, Markets Still In the Thick Of It
August 19, 2008 – Life is getting more expensive these days, and exchange traded funds (ETFs) could reflect it. Wholesale prices are shooting up at their fastest clip since 1981. Inflation surged 1.2% in July, more than twice what had... Continue Reading »

ETFs Higher With Consumers Mood
August 15, 2008 – The slowing of commodity prices eased cost pressures on households, companies and helped the markets and exchange traded funds (ETFs).  According to the Reuters/University of Michigan survey, consumers’ sentiment improved slightly in August.  Timothy R.  Homan and... Continue Reading »

Weak Auto Sales Weigh Down Retail Sector and ETFs
August 13, 2008 – The retail sector and exchange traded funds (ETFs) are a little down in the dumps today after reports show that consumers are still getting squeezed by high fuel prices. Sales fell in July, and it was... Continue Reading »

Consumers, Real Estate ETFs Looking Up
July 29, 2008 – Home prices are down and exchange traded funds (ETFs) are up. The Case-Shiller index of 20 cities in the United States fell 15.8% in May compared with a year ago, a record decline since its 2000... Continue Reading »

Kraft’s Earnings Could Fuel Consumer Staples ETFs
July 28, 2008 – The fond memories you have for your college diet might deliver an energy boost to consumer staples exchange traded funds (ETFs). Kraft Foods (KFT) reported its second-quarter earnings, which rose 4%, reports Emily Fredrix for the... Continue Reading »

SPDRs Weave An International Web With Sector ETFs
July 24, 2008 – The options for international sector exchange traded funds (ETFs) doubled overnight as State Street Global Advisors announced the addition of ten such funds to their SPDR lineup. This brings the Spider line to include 80 ETFs,... Continue Reading »

Earnings Around the Markets Boost Energy, Food ETFs
July 23, 2008 – Glug, glug, glug. That’s the sound of Pepsi’s second-quarter profit rising, which has bubbled up the food and beverage exchange traded fund (ETF). PepsiCo (PEP) reported a 9% jump in profits in the most recent quarter,... Continue Reading »

Wal-Mart Supplier ETF Getting Boost From Slow Economy?
July 21, 2008 – One of the areas that has demonstrated strength during this economic downturn is consumer spending on necessities, which might be benefiting the Wal-Mart supplier exchange traded fund (ETF). Any strength shown among consumer spending in recent... Continue Reading »

Retail ETFs Might Be About to Rock On Gas, Food Strength
July 15, 2008 – Retail sales and related exchange traded funds (ETFs) took a hit today as the June numbers came in. The 0.1% increase was weaker than analysts had expected, mostly because auto sales have plunged, reports Martin Crutsinger... Continue Reading »

Retail Sales Lift ETFs In June, But It’s Not Frivolous Spending
July 10, 2008 – If you took that rebate check and went shopping, give yourself a hearty pat on the back, because you just might have helped some retail exchange traded funds (ETFs) in June. Retail sales overall rose 4.3%,... Continue Reading »

AC/DC Comes to Wal-Mart With Open Arms, But Will ETFs Be Ready to Rock?
June 18, 2008 – Well, hell’s bells. AC/DC’s decision about where they’re going to sell their new album could wind up helping exchange traded funds (ETFs). That is, if enough people still care about them and enough people... Continue Reading »

Retail ETFs Report in on Retail Sales Data
June 5, 2008 – Retail exchange traded funds (ETFs) seem to like the sales reports that came out today. Retail sales data for the month of May came in strong, despite gas prices hitting consumer wallets and a... Continue Reading »

Rising Gas, Food Prices Squeeze Consumers and ETFs
May 27, 2008 – If you’re feeling sad about the rising cost of living, you’re not alone - the pinch is being felt everywhere, from the gas pump to exchange traded funds (ETFs). Consumer confidence has sunk to... Continue Reading »

Wholesale Inflation Slows, But Numbers Could Still Affect ETFs
May 20, 2008 – Wholesale inflation slowed down some in April, which may ease a little of the pressure on the wallets and affect retail and consumer exchange traded funds (ETFs). The Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 0.2% in... Continue Reading »

Playing Defense With the Domestic Portion of Your ETF Portfolio
May 15, 2008 – Have you been playing defense with your exchange traded fund (ETF) portfolio lately? If so, good. The time to dribble to the other side of the court has not occurred, as the domestic market... Continue Reading »

Consumer Spending, Earnings Numbers Drive Up Retail ETFs
May 1, 2008 – Retail exchange traded funds (ETFs) are ringing ka-ching in midday trading after some earnings and consumer-related reports. Consumer spending rose in March, but only because there wasn’t much choice. Soaring prices for gas, food and... Continue Reading »

Could Consumer Staple ETFs Be a Portfolio Staple?
April 30, 2008 – Consumers who are worried or skeptical about the economy may want to turn to exchange traded funds (ETFs) holding stock of companies that supply household necessities. Consumer staples include toothpaste, detergent, toilet paper and batteries.... Continue Reading »

New Quarter, New Start for Some ETFs
April 1, 2008 – Financial, homebuilder and retail exchange traded funds (ETFs) were among the biggest winners on a day when the Dow Jones industrial average rose nearly 400 points. Although Swiss bank UBS (UBS) and Deutsche Bank (DB) announced... Continue Reading »

Wal-Mart Profits Up, But Little Effect on Retail ETFs So Far
February 19, 2008 – Wal-Mart (WMT) reported a jump in sales both here and abroad, but the positive numbers are so far showing minimal effect on retail exchange traded funds (ETFs). It’s good news for the retail sector, though,... Continue Reading »

Consumer Staples ETFs Capture Soft Economy
January 30, 2008 – It’s time to face the fact that the U.S. economy is melting, so what is an investor in exchange traded funds (ETFs) to do? Sure, the Federal government is planning to introduce a stimulus... Continue Reading »

ETF Investors Want Shelter
January 18, 2008 – Some may wonder if the Fed is in denial: while Bernanke calls for a "slow growth path," Wall Street is calling "recession" and exchange traded fund (ETF) investments and benchmarks are on a steady... Continue Reading »

Digging Deeper Into International Small Cap ETFs
December 21, 2007 – International small-cap exchange traded funds (ETFs) are the latest frontier that providers have captured. There are now five choices in this space and ETFs that have the same asset class are not always the... Continue Reading »

Only Time Will Tell If Wal-Mart Supplier ETF Has Value
December 14, 2007 – The Wal-Mart supplier exchange traded fund (ETF) FocusShares ISE Revere Wal-Mart Supplier Index Fund (WSI) is in a category of its own. Roger Nusbaum for TheStreet.com reports that the 30-stock ETF is most heavily-weighted... Continue Reading »

Sinful ETF Capitalizes on Our Vices
December 13, 2007 – If you’ve had enough of those so-called "socially responsible" exchange traded funds (ETFs) and you want to add a little hedonism to your portfolio, there’s a new fund just for you. FocusShares ISE SINdex... Continue Reading »

Shopping For A Retail ETF
November 28, 2007 – Did you know that while you are holiday shopping, you could earn some money back by investing in one of the retail exchange traded funds (ETFs)? Zoe Van Schyndel for The Motley Fool says... Continue Reading »

Watch the SPDRs ETFs Grow
October 19, 2007 – The Select Sector SPDRs exchange traded funds (ETFs) cover broad, general sectors of the market. Billions of dollars move into and out of those funds each week. A total of nearly $21.8 billion was... Continue Reading »

South Africa ETF Could Be in for Tough Times Ahead
October 16, 2007 – The South Africa exchange traded fund (ETF) iShares MSCI South Africa Index (EZA) could see a decrease after the retail sales growth figures for August are released this week. Currently, EZA is up 24.8%... Continue Reading »

Socially Responsible Business Practices Seep into ETFs
October 3, 2007 – Exchange traded funds (ETFs) could see more of their holdings take on socially responsible business practices. For example, Wal-Mart (WMT), McDonald’s (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX) recently have started selling fair trade coffee, reports Andrew... Continue Reading »

Thanks Be to Consumer Staples ETFs
September 19, 2007 – Take a minute to say "thank you" for consumer staples exchange traded funds (ETFs). These special friends tend to be reliable through the good times and bad. That’s because U.S. consumers "need" soda, macaroni... Continue Reading »

International ETF Options
September 13, 2007 – For exchange traded fund (ETF) investors interested in getting into global ETFs, the S&P Global 1200 reflects 70% of the value of the world’s publicly traded stocks. Although there isn’t an ETF that tracks... Continue Reading »

An “All in One” ETF
September 7, 2007 – Are you looking for an all-around exchange traded fund (ETF) that features a low expense ratio, diversification and a solid $8.5 billion in assets? It’s here: The Vanguard Total  Market ETF (VTI) has all... Continue Reading »

Country-rotation ETF (CRO) Selects the Countries
September 3, 2007 – Are you looking to invest internationally but can’t decide which exchange traded funds (ETFs) to choose? Why not pick an ETF that rotates its country holdings for you? That’s the job of the Claymore/Zacks... Continue Reading »

The History of Select Sector SPDRs ETFs
August 28, 2007 – Throughout all the releases of new exchange traded funds (ETFs) one core group of nine ETFs that have been around since 1998 are the Select Sector SPDRs. These ETFs track the different sectors of... Continue Reading »

Places to Go When ETFs Plummet with the Market
August 28, 2007 – When the markets and exchange traded funds (ETFs) get shaky, investors have several safety shelters: Health care, consumer staples, large-cap, utilities, mega-cap, fixed-income are a few options that tend to ride the volatile market... Continue Reading »

Is Glitzy Media ETF on Rise to Stardom?
August 28, 2007 – At a quick glance, it wouldn’t seem as if the recent market volatility would affect media stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) too much. They seem as if they would behave more like health... Continue Reading »

Variable-rate Fund (VVR) Stabilizes after Huge Decline
August 22, 2007 – Some exchange traded funds (ETFs) that have dropped the most recently are now experiencing handsome rebounds. Closed-end fund Van Kampen Senior Income Trust (VVR) lost more than 25% in a matter of weeks because... Continue Reading »

Two ETF Sectors Play Defense Against Roller-Coaster Market
August 2, 2007 – The health care and consumer staples arenas, and the exchange traded funds (ETFs) that track them, are two sectors that traditionally weather rocky market storms. Companies within these sectors tend to maintain stable revenue... Continue Reading »

ETF Profile: United Kingdom (EWU)
July 29, 2007 – We’ve talked a lot about the British currency exchange traded fund (ETF) and its benefits, but we haven’t featured much on the United Kingdom ETF. The iShares MSCI United Kingdom Index Fund (EWU) tracks... Continue Reading »

Go Shopping for a Retail ETF
July 6, 2007 – Investor news flash: For those of you who love to shop, or have wives that love to, you can channel that energy and money into your exchange traded funds (ETFs). Retail and consumer goods... Continue Reading »

New ETF Launch Includes Active Strategy
May 5, 2007 – First Trust is close to launching new exchange traded funds (ETFs) based on AlphaDEX, an index strategy where stocks need to meet certain criteria in order to remain in the index. The value index... Continue Reading »

Sweden ETF Reflects Nordic Market
April 9, 2007 – In Stockholm, Sweden, there has been a high increase in trading volume and the Swedish exchange traded fund (ETF) has been increasing as well.  iShares MSCI Sweden Index (EWD) is up 7.4% this year... Continue Reading »

Diversified ETFs
February 4, 2007 – Richard Widows of TheStreet.com helps identify 10 of the most diversified exchange traded funds (ETFs). The funds are measured by full exposure to all major sectors, including, basic materials, capital goods, communications services, consumer... Continue Reading »

ETF Components of S&P 500
December 30, 2006 – AltaVista Inependent Research reports on the outlook for S&P-based exchange traded funds (ETFs).  It’s quite interesting to look at the industries that comprise the S&P 500 and see how they did individually versus the overall... Continue Reading »

More Equal-Weighted ETFs
November 8, 2006 – Yesterday was the first trading day for the new Rydex exchange traded funds (ETFs).  The nine equal-weighted ETFs are based on the S&P Equal Weight Sector Indexes.  Stocks are divided equally, not by market... Continue Reading »

Rydex Rolls Out New ETFs
November 3, 2006 – Rydex Investments plans to roll out nine new equal-weighted sector exchange traded funds (ETFs). On November 7th, Rydex will build on the success of the S&P 500 Equal-Weight ETF (RSP).  The new ETFs will... Continue Reading »

PowerShares ETFs Launched
October 13, 2006 – Eleven new exchange traded funds launched on the American Stock Exchange from Powershares.  These ETFs are based on Dynamic Intellidex indexes.  The new ETFs are as follows: PowerShares Dynamic MagniQuant Portfolio (PIQ)PowerShares Dynamic Banking Portfolio... Continue Reading »

New ETFs Busy This Week
September 22, 2006 – It is a busy week for new exchange traded fund offerings. Barclays aunched five new exchange traded funds today to add to their list of iShares.  The new ETFs are: iShares S&P Global Consumer Discretionary Sector (RXI) iShares... Continue Reading »

Consumer ETF (XLP) Performing in the Downturn
July 21, 2006 – Consumer staples are things like toothpaste and toilet paper, the type of products you buy no matter what the economy is doing.  A consumer staples exchange traded fund holds a basket of companies that... Continue Reading »

May ETF Performance Report
May 31, 2006 – Each month we share this updated ETF performance report. With global markets correcting in May, investors are facing challenging decisions regarding their ETF holdings. Key points for the month include: Many ETFs are below their 50-day... Continue Reading »