Five ETFs That Are Waiting To Shine
August 29, 2008 – The exchange traded fund (ETF) world has exploded, and there are hundreds of funds to choose from. But there are a few that are great ideas that don’t seem to have taken off yet. Matthew Hougan... Continue Reading »

Of the Top Ten Funds In July, Seven Were ETFs
August 28, 2008 – July was a notoriously troubled month for the markets, but not all exchange traded funds (ETFs) were suffering. John Spence for MarketWatch notes that there were 708 U.S.-listed ETFs in July, with 24 managers at the... Continue Reading »

Financial ETFs Beat Up By Lehman Speculation, AIG Loss Estimates
August 25, 2008 – Financial and real estate exchange traded funds (ETFs) have got a real case of the Mondays. Uncertainty still abounds in the financial sector. Lehman Brothers (LEH) shares dropped midday after speculation about the future of its... Continue Reading »

Small-Cap ETFs Filled With Big Surprises
August 21, 2008 – Sometimes, big things come in small packages, and this summer’s surprise market upswing has revealed that the small-cap focused exchange traded funds(ETFs) are full of surprises. To date, the best small-cap sampler is the iShares... Continue Reading »

Contrarian Markets Can Be Tamed With ETFs
August 20, 2008 – As seen in the exchange traded fund (ETF) market, the U.S. stock market seems to be defying traditional elements of savvy investing. Gary Gordon for ETF Expert points out that risk or risky investments are often... Continue Reading »

New Line of ETNs Pay Homage to Benjamin Graham
August 12, 2008 – Benjamin Graham, the forefather of value investing, is the inspiration for a few exchange traded notes (ETNs) based on his beliefs. The ETNs will seek to track companies with strong, liquid balance sheets, and must... Continue Reading »

ETFs Supporting Value Wait Patiently For Their Day
August 7, 2008 – Value-based managers and investors of exchange traded funds (ETFs) are going through a tough time, despite claims of plentiful stock bargains. Many value funds have sharply tumbled, with Bill Miller’s Value Trust down 29.3% and Morningstar’s... Continue Reading »

Small Cap ETFs Lead the Way In Recovery Periods
August 7, 2008 – Small-cap exchange traded funds (ETFs) are leading the charge as the markets begin to show tentative signs of recovery. The downtrend in July was bucked by the iShares Russell 2000 Index (IWM) with a 3.3% gain,... Continue Reading »

China’s Strict Rules Could Impact Related ETFs
July 28, 2008 – China is on everyone’s minds these days as the country gears up for its Olympic Games next week, and many are looking for ways the country’s activity could boost related exchange traded funds (ETFs). But are... Continue Reading »

If Markets Stay Volatile, Tell ‘Em Large-Cap ETFs Sent Ya
July 23, 2008 – If the dollar remains weak and the markets stay depressed, large-cap exchange traded funds (ETFs) are poised to be sitting pretty. That’s according to Neil Michael, head of quantitative strategies for SPA ETFs. “I suspect that... Continue Reading »

Some iShares ETFs Are Calling It Splits
July 16, 2008 – Barclays Global Investors has announced they are splitting shares amongst 10% of their exchange traded fund (ETF) line, iShares. There are more than 160 U.S.-based products within this fund family, and they represent $327 billion in... Continue Reading »

Is A Small-Cap Stock and ETF Rally Set Up?
July 15, 2008 – •If history is to repeat itself, is there a small-cap stock and exchange traded fund (ETF) rally on the horizon? Outperformance by small-cap stocks has generally followed market bottoms of recessions, so says Merrill Lynch. But... Continue Reading »

Do-It-Yourself Diversification With ETFs
July 9, 2008 – For any exchange traded fund (ETF) investor, diversification is key. One of the sole reasons people choose to use these funds is to get the instant diversification with one investment, while keeping risk and volatility... Continue Reading »

Thinking Caps Are Calling For Large-Cap Stocks And ETFs To Step Up
June 30, 2008 – As far as exchange traded funds (ETFs) divvied up by cap size and growth vs. value, it’s been all about the mid-caps so far this year. For the last three months, mid-caps have returned... Continue Reading »

Buy-and-Hold Portfolios Are Easy With ETFs
June 26, 2008 – One it comes to an exchange traded fund (ETF) buy-and-hold portfolio, it’s not a one-size-fits-all venture. Studies have shown that the performance of investors who are in it for the long haul mostly rides on... Continue Reading »

Small Companies Might Be Dinged By Active ETFs
June 18, 2008 – While the disclosure rules for actively managed exchange traded funds (ETFs) might benefit the investor who still craves transparency, the rules could inadvertently hurt small-company stocks. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules mandate that... Continue Reading »

Mid-Cap ETFs And Stocks Are Just The Right Size
June 3, 2008 – What type of stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) are not too large and not too small, and doing mostly just right in 2008? The mid-caps. Between the three cap sizes, mid-sized companies have been the... Continue Reading »

Micro-Cap ETFs Will Have Their Day (It’s Just Not Today)
May 23, 2008 – Lately, mid-cap exchange traded funds (ETFs) have surged on ahead of all the other caps. Bringing up the rear are the microcaps. Five years ago, that wasn’t the case and microcaps, those companies with market... Continue Reading »

Emerging Markets ETF Weighs In On the Small Caps
May 22, 2008 – Exchange traded fund (ETF) provider State Street Global Advisors delivered the first cap-weighted, small-cap emerging markets ETF last week. The SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Small Cap (EWX) tracks an index of 1,660 holdings, reports Heather... Continue Reading »

With ETFs, Sometimes It’s Good to Be the Middle Child
May 20, 2008 – The trouble with mid-caps and their exchange traded funds (ETFs) is that they don’t get the same coverage in the financial media as the large-caps. Even small-caps get more attention as investors mine through... Continue Reading »

Is It Stupid to Keep It Simple With ETFs?
April 12, 2008 – The exchange traded fund (ETF) industry is currently brimming with excitement over a couple of new all-world funds. But can keeping it too simple be a wise strategy? Gary Gordon for ETF Expert doesn’t... Continue Reading »

Small-Caps vs. Large-Caps Are a Tale of David and Goliath This Year
April 8, 2008 – Small-cap value stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) have been benefiting from having less to lose than large-caps and so far this year, they’ve been outpacing them handily. In the last month, small-cap value... Continue Reading »

The Newest Members Of PowerShares ETF Family
April 7, 2008 – Exchange traded fund (ETF) provider PowerShares announced two new funds to be listed on NASDAQ. The company states that this will bring the ETF family to more than 110. The new ETFs are: PowerShares NASDAQ... Continue Reading »

Playing the Waiting Game With ETFs
March 28, 2008 –   Some believe we’re in a full-blown recession, but no matter what they believe, exchange traded fund (ETF) investors shouldn’t panic. Chris Fichera for Consumer Reports suggests staying put and weathering the storm, while making some... Continue Reading »

Basic Materials ETFs Could Spike From Commodities Bull
March 11, 2008 – At the moment, it doesn’t appear that raw materials stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) are crumbling under the weight of a struggling market and rising oil prices. Don Dion for Seeking Alpha says that... Continue Reading »

Actively Managed Mutual Funds Make ETFs Look Good By Underperforming
March 8, 2008 – Actively managed mutual fund enthusiasts say that a bear market is where active stock picking can beat index funds or exchange traded funds (ETFs). Jonathan Chevreau for Financial Post takes a look at the... Continue Reading »

New ETFs Take Innovative Approach To S&P
February 27, 2008 – A trio of new exchange traded funds (ETFs) launched on Friday, taking a different twist on the Standard & Poor’s benchmarks. They will use the same stocks as the S&P but the ETF will... Continue Reading »

Bidding Farewell to Mutual Funds, Saying Hello to the All-ETF Portfolio
February 26, 2008 – When it comes to exchange traded funds (ETFs), resistance is futile. On Seeking Alpha, Index Universe’s Murray Coleman questions the logic of buying higher-priced versions of the same benchmarks he’s been investing in up to... Continue Reading »

Are You Doubling Up With ETFs?
February 11, 2008 – When you look at your exchange traded fund (ETF) portfolio, and consider all of the single stocks that you own, are you ever doubling up? Investing in individual large-caps is great, however, if you... Continue Reading »

Is The ETF Time REIT?
February 3, 2008 – The subprime mess is in full meltdown mode, so is it time to consider exchange traded funds (ETFs) in the real estate realm? In reality, real estate has been the best-performing category in open-ended... Continue Reading »

Claymore ‘Acts Responsibly’ and Closes 11 ETFs
February 1, 2008 – After three years of billions of dollars flowing into exchange traded funds (ETFs) and hundreds being launched, one ETF provider is showing their accountability and trimming the hedges. Following a recommendation and approval from their... Continue Reading »

New ETF Allows China Small-Caps To Shine
January 31, 2008 – Claymore has launched a new exchange traded fund (ETF), the AlphaShares China Small Cap Index ETF (HAO). The fund seeks results that correspond to the AlphaShares China Small Cap Index and measures the performance... Continue Reading »

Gauging ETF Liquidity
January 27, 2008 – Ever wonder if your exchange traded funds (ETFs) are liquid enough for your taste? You can check the liquidity yourself with the bid-ask spread. Although ETFs trade like stocks, trading volume does not give... Continue Reading »

Spa Market Grader ETFs Going International
January 15, 2008 – Spa MarketGrader’s exchange traded funds (ETFs) are now ready to take on Italy, months after launching their funds on the American Stock Exchange. Their six U.S. equity-focused Market-Grader ETFs will appear on Milan’s Borsa Italiana stock... Continue Reading »

Fund’s Performance May Be a Harbinger of Tough Times for Small Cap ETFs
January 10, 2008 – While two exchange traded funds (ETFs) might follow the same underlying index, discrepancies are still possible. A case in point is the SPDRs (SPY) vs. the Rydex S&P Equal Weight (RSP). Each fund has the... Continue Reading »

Proprietary Index ETFs vs. the Traditional ETFs
January 4, 2008 – In the battle between exchange traded funds (ETFs) based on proprietary index methodology and those based on traditional indexing, the clear winner is… No one, really. Andy Mayo of Seeking Alpha breaks it down by taking... Continue Reading »

ETFs Becoming a Household Name
December 31, 2007 – Actor Sam Waterston of "Law and Order", the television show on which he plays a district  attorney, is making a case for exchange traded funds (ETFs) on ads for online broker TD Ameritrade. This... Continue Reading »

ETFs Offer Diversification In Many Forms
December 26, 2007 – The exchange traded fund (ETF) market is flooded with hundreds of choices, around 600, so it is time to take a look at what you are investing in. The latest market volatility means watching... 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 »

Japan’s Economy Could Grow - Will The ETFs Follow?
December 19, 2007 – It hasn’t been the easiest year for Japan and its exchange traded funds (ETFs). Its largest ETF by trading volume is the iShares MSCI Japan Index (EWJ), and it’s down 6.8% year to date.... Continue Reading »

Bargain Basement ETFs
December 19, 2007 – Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are popular because they offer diversification, tax efficiency, lower costs and lower expense ratios than most investment tools. ETFs trade on an exchange like a single stock, but beware that too... Continue Reading »

ETF Asset Class Reveiw for 2007
December 14, 2007 – Which asset classes and similar exchange traded funds (ETFs) fared well for 2007? Matthew D. McCall for Seeking Alpha gives us his take based on the nine categories of market capitalization and growth versus... Continue Reading »

3 New Global iShares Debut
December 13, 2007 – Three new iShares exchange traded funds (ETFs) began trading this week on NYSE Arca. The three new funds from Barclays offer exposure to the developing global marketplace, including places such as Japan, Germany, Greece,... Continue Reading »

ETFs in Market Segments
December 11, 2007 – Asset classes are important to most investors and exchange traded funds (ETFs) are helping progress within specific market segments. Matthew Hougan for Seeking Alpha reports that there are some areas of the market that... Continue Reading »

Foreign Small-Cap ETFs Helpful to Avoid Mortgage Mess
December 10, 2007 – Foreign small cap exchange traded funds (ETFs) and stocks are offering investors an option to try and avoid the U.S. mortgage meltdown. Financials represent the largest sector in most small-cap value indexes. The average... Continue Reading »

Market and ETF Facts to Consider
November 30, 2007 – There’s a lot going on in the markets and exchange traded funds (ETFs).  Matt Hougan for Index Universe looks at 10 interesting market facts and we’ve added some ETF related information. The U.S. stock market... Continue Reading »

Nasdaq ETF Market Is Grabbing More Attention
November 21, 2007 – Nasdaq stock exchange has listed five new exchange traded funds (ETFs) from Barclays Global Advisors. Although it was initially known as the stock exchange for high-tech companies, Nasdaq is the most liquid U.S. market... Continue Reading »

ETF Launches Continue at a Rapid Pace
November 19, 2007 – Ho-hum. Another day, another batch of exchange traded funds (ETFs) hit the marketplace, right? Sure, there are lots of ETFs out there now and even more in the pipeline, but as Will McClatchy of... Continue Reading »

ETF Offers a Safe Way to Invest in Small, Foreign Companies
November 10, 2007 – WisdomTree offered another exchange traded fund (ETF) this week for investors to become further diversified with the WisdomTree Emerging Market Small-Cap Dividend Fund (DGS), reports Roger Nusbaum for the Street. It’s the first emerging-market... Continue Reading »

Playing Emerging Markets From Any Angle
November 5, 2007 – The emerging markets exchange traded funds (ETFs) and indexes have outperformed domestic markets recently. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index has outperformed the S&P 500 by 134.46% over the past three years. Many investors are... Continue Reading »

WisdomTree to Launch Emerging-market Small-cap ETF
October 29, 2007 – WisdomTree announced today that it will launch a new small-cap dividend-weighted exchange traded fund (ETF) tomorrow under the ticker symbol (DGS). DGS will trade on the NYSE Arca and will have an expense ratio... Continue Reading »

Short on Small-cap ETFs
October 14, 2007 – It appears as if investors are nervous about the future of small-cap stocks and the exchange traded funds (ETFs) that carry them. Jesse Emspak for Investor’s Business Daily reports that investors shorted small-cap ETFs... Continue Reading »

VIX Performance Indicates ETFs and Markets are Calm and Happy
October 9, 2007 – While it’s been a wild ride for most exchange traded funds (ETFs) this summer, it seems volatility might be calming down as the overall markets have been doing well lately. Last week, the CBOE... Continue Reading »

An ETF Passport
October 8, 2007 –                       Broad-based exchange traded funds (ETFs) could lead you to believe that you own a small piece of the world, but indexes such as the EAFE might... Continue Reading »

Big News for Small-cap ETFs?
October 6, 2007 – A look inside small-cap exchange traded funds (ETFs) reveals that the holdings have a wide variety of performance numbers. As hedge funds and ETFs seem to be buying back shares of small companies they... Continue Reading »

Fueling the Fire: ETF Indexing Debate Gets Hot
September 7, 2007 – People seem to love a good debate, especially when it comes to indexing strategies that exchange traded funds (ETFs) follow. The hot argument lately has been over whether market-cap weightings or fundamentally-based weightings are... Continue Reading »

An ETF Game of “What If?”
September 1, 2007 – If you could make only one investment, which exchange traded fund (ETF) would it be? Shannon Zimmerman for The Motley Fool likes "to cheat" by picking one investment that holds many other investments (such... Continue Reading »

ETFs: Sorting out the Small Stuff
August 31, 2007 – With so many exchange traded funds (ETFs) on the market and so little time, what is an investor to do? Amanda B. Kish for The Motley Fool helps dissect small-cap ETFs for those in... Continue Reading »

Not-so-little Comeback for Domestic Small-cap ETFs
August 24, 2007 – Although large-cap stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) are outperforming small-cap ETFs year-to-date, small-cap ETFs are rebounding off the Aug. 15 market low better than the large-cap ETFs. As all domestic indicators declined below... Continue Reading »

International Small-cap ETF Could Make a Big Rebound
August 24, 2007 – For the last five years, small-cap exchange traded funds (ETFs) have outperformed large-cap ETFs worldwide. For investors looking to invest in international small-caps, one option to consider is the WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend (DLS).... Continue Reading »

ETF Signs - Could It Be Bull?
August 13, 2007 – Amid the market turmoil, exchange traded funds (ETFs) still are coming out ahead. $13.2 billion of net inflow has gone into U.S. ETFs during last week through Thursday, according to TrimTabs Investment Research. Vincent... Continue Reading »

Barclays to Launch 3 New Small-cap International ETFs
August 1, 2007 – Barclays Global Investors filed papers with the SEC to launch three new small-cap international exchange traded funds (ETFs). The funds will track the recently-launched small-cap indexes from MSCI Barra, according to Matt Hougan for... Continue Reading »

Is Consumer Confidence a Jinx on Small-cap ETFs?
August 1, 2007 – Consumer confidence has an interesting relationship with market and exchange traded fund (ETF) performance. We are told consumer confidence is good for stocks and ETFs, says Gary Gordon for ETF Expert. Yet when you... Continue Reading »

Is it Large-Cap ETFs’ Time to Bask in the Spotlight?
July 26, 2007 – Small-cap exchange traded funds (ETFs) have outperformed large-cap ETFs for seven years. That’s quite a run. As we know though, the market is cyclical and obeys the law of gravity: What goes up must... Continue Reading »

Mid-Day ETF Market Update: Dow Drops 300 Points
July 26, 2007 – The Dow Jones industrial average took a dive today and brought exchange traded funds (ETFs) down with it. It marks the second biggest drop of the year as the Dow dropped more than 300... Continue Reading »

Past ETF Performances Can Teach Us Lessons for the Future
July 16, 2007 – While it’s impossible to know what the future performance of an exchange traded fund (ETF) will be, looking at the past can show us important educational trends. Remember though that past performance is not... Continue Reading »

Growth ETFs Show Strength
July 16, 2007 –   When it comes to stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs), which is more pursued, the growth or the value? During the late 1990s, it was all about growth. Leading into the turn of the... Continue Reading »

Small Cap and Microcap ETFs
July 1, 2007 – Each index provider has a different definition for small cap and micro cap stocks within exchange traded funds (ETFs). For example, the S&P defines small cap as companies with a market cap of $300... Continue Reading »

Market Cap ETFs For Diversification
June 30, 2007 – Market-cap weighted index fund exchange traded funds (ETFs) arguably can be the base of a well-rounded portfolio. The core building blocks of a well-diversified portfolio include small, mid and large-cap stocks, Seeking Alpha reports.... Continue Reading »

Are Small-Cap ETFs As Lucky As Actively-Managed?
May 31, 2007 – Do small-cap stock pickers actually possess certain insight, or do they just have a better chance of beating their benchmarks than large-cap stocks. Could this be true of small-cap exchange traded funds (ETFs) too? Eleanor... Continue Reading »

Large Caps Moving Up-Proof Is In ETFs
May 24, 2007 – So far this year it looks like small-caps are losing ground while large-caps are making a comeback, as evidenced by the returns on exchange traded funds (ETFs).  In recent years, large-caps trailed small-caps, but... Continue Reading »

Foreign Small-Cap ETFs As Different As Europe and Asia
May 7, 2007 – Small-cap stocks and the exchange traded funds (ETF) that hold them don’t have the same repetitive monotony that large-caps possess. The good thing about the small-cap sector is two funds that seem to have the... Continue Reading »

State Street’s New International ETFs
April 26, 2007 – State Street launched two new exchange traded funds (ETFs) today. Seeking Alpha reports the ETFs are SPDR S&P International Small Cap (GWX) and the SPDR S&P World ex-U.S. (GWL). GWX includes companies with market... Continue Reading »

Capitalization-Big or Small For ETFs
March 27, 2007 – Exchange traded funds (ETFs) that focus on small-cap stocks have done well this year despite warnings that the trend is shifting to big-caps.  Although the big-cap index, S&P 500 outperformed the small-cap index, Russell... Continue Reading »

ETFs Can Help the Tax Bill
March 18, 2007 – Tax season is under way and for those investors with investments in exchange traded funds (ETFs), capital gains tax is one less worry. While it is too late for those who delayed on ETF... Continue Reading »

Do ETFs Sway Market Indicators?
March 13, 2007 – The popularity of certain exchange traded funds (ETFs) may be causing a lopsided effect on the trading of some company shares. As research shows, three ETFs that track small-company stock indexes account for 20-40%... 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 »

ProShares Flavored ETFs
January 26, 2007 – ProShares launched six new exchange traded funds (ETFs), bringing their total number of funds to 18. More sector-focused ETFs are set to launch next week. The six new funds are tied to small-cap indexes from... Continue Reading »

Morningstar ETFs Are Performing
January 23, 2007 – Up until recently it’s been difficult to mirror Morningstar’s recommendations in your portfolio. But now, Morningstar’s ETFs put their mouth where the money is. Exchange traded funds (ETFs) from Barclays that focus on Morningstar indexes... Continue Reading »

SmartMoney’s ETF Ratings
January 16, 2007 – Rob Wherry of SmartMoney reports  exchange traded funds (ETFs) had a banner year ending with 359 ETFs and holding $417 billion in their coffers. Compared to the year before, with 201 ETFs holding $296... Continue Reading »

What’s Inside An ETF?
January 13, 2007 – Most people don’t have time to research and understand which small-cap tech company they should buy, so an exchange traded fund (ETF) offers an alternative. Donald H. Gold of Investor’s Business Daily points out... Continue Reading »

Morningstar Touts ETFs
January 12, 2007 – Dan Culloton of Morningstar writes that exchange traded funds (ETFs) can be a good choice when there are slim pickings of mutual funds.  Morningstar reviews mutual funds and make their pick based on the... Continue Reading »

Are ETFs Effecting Small-Cap Stock Prices?
January 9, 2007 – Joe Morris of Ignites writes that small-cap exchange traded funds (ETFs) have been in existence long enough for the market to digest their flows. However, some investors think intense buying by hedge funds and... Continue Reading »

ETF Advice for Small-Caps
January 5, 2007 – Matt Krantz of USA Today advises that waiting for the right time to buy small-cap stocks or exchange traded funds (ETFs) is pretty expensive. Market-timers are usually foiled. When an investor waits for the... Continue Reading »

Dividends with International SmallCap ETFs
December 20, 2006 – WisdomTree exchange traded funds (ETFs) base their weighting, not on market cap, but on dividends.  Recently the ETF provider launched small-cap dividend funds, including WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend (DFE), WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend (DLS)... Continue Reading »

Potential in Small Companies with Stealth ETF
December 19, 2006 – The Claymore/Sabrient Stealth ETF (exchange traded fund) tries to find the best investments that haven’t caught Wall Street’s eye. Claymore/Sabrient Stealth (STH) is based on a theory that companies with undiscovered potential will produce... Continue Reading »

Small-Cap ETFs Rally for Year-End?
December 13, 2006 – With the huge number of puts on small-cap exchange traded funds (ETFs), we could see a short rally going into the end of the year. Proof is with the iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund... Continue Reading »

Small-Cap ETFs Better Than Small-Cap Funds
April 18, 2006 – For the past five years, small-cap stocks have outperformed large-cap stocks by a huge factor. No doubt, investors have chased this trend. In an effort to get a handle on the growing portfolios (and... Continue Reading »

Hold Your Small-Cap ETFs
March 23, 2006 – Predictions can get you into trouble. Today was another day where small-cap stocks advanced and large-cap stocks were down. For the past 12-18 months Wall St. has been telling investors the shift in momentum... Continue Reading »

PowerShares ETF Based on Earnings Surprises
February 15, 2006 – PowerShares is at it again.  On Thursday, the company will launch a new exchange-traded fund.  This new ETF, PowerShares Zacks Small Cap Portfolio (PZJ), will be based on Zacks Small Cap Index.  Zacks’ investment... Continue Reading »

Small-Caps - Top Domestic ETFs
February 3, 2006 – Taking a look at the domestic market, small-capitalization stocks have outperformed large-caps for the past six years.  Thus far in 2006, the small-cap lead continues.  Small-caps tend to do better when an economy is... Continue Reading »