Foreign Currency ETFs Strong In July
August 7, 2008 – Last month, the U.S. dollar staged a rally, but foreign currency exchange traded funds (ETFs) still pulled through with some decent performance. The top performer was the WisdomTree South African Rand (SZR), which returned 7.6% in... Continue Reading »

Emerging Markets ETFs Locked In a Race
August 6, 2008 – One of the most efficient ways to access emerging market countries is through exchange traded funds (ETFs). The ETF that reigns supreme in assets is iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) which has garnered $20 billion... Continue Reading »

Commodities Continue To Fare Well In South Africa And ETFs
August 4, 2008 – The pressure is on for the South African central bank to raise interest rates as the cost of exports leaving the country rose the fastest pace in 19 years, changing the dynamic of exchange traded... Continue Reading »

South African ETFs Represent a Mixed Bag
July 28, 2008 – South Africa is showing renewed vigor that’s helping its currency exchange traded fund (ETF). The South African rand strengthened against the euro for the second week in a row, showing the country’s strength and endurance in... Continue Reading »

Eskom Profits Fall, Touching Down On A Variety Of ETFs
July 18, 2008 – The rising demand for coal is helping the commodity’s exchange traded fund (ETF) while weighing on some companies that deal with it. South Africa’s state-owned power utility company Eskom is experiencing a full-years’ profit-plummet because of... Continue Reading »

Approaching ETF Investing Through Themes
July 17, 2008 – When it comes to exchange traded fund (ETF) investing, it has become quite simple to build a narrow portfolio with these funds, with a very specific goal in mind. The choices will keep making the... 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 »

New Index Comes Out Of Africa For ETFs
July 11, 2008 – It was 99 degrees in Cairo yesterday, but the weather isn’t the only thing that’s hot in Africa - exchange traded fund (ETF) investing is, too. Dow Jones Indexes launched a new index today that comes... Continue Reading »

Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium ETFs - Oh, My!
July 9, 2008 – Platinum and palladium exchange traded funds (ETFs) are reflecting the love investors have for metals that do much more than look pretty. Platinum demand is being driven, literally, by its primary use as a catalyst in... Continue Reading »

What’s Going Down In South Africa May Not Help ETF To Go Up
July 2, 2008 – South Africa’s economy and exchange traded fund (ETF) are facing some new hurdles. Africa’s biggest steel maker, ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd, is fighting a record penalty after antitrust authorities found that the company may be... Continue Reading »

ETF Banks On Chinese Currency To Be Number “Yuan” Against U.S. Dollar
June 26, 2008 – Many believe that the Chinese currency will eventually become number "yuan" to the U.S. dollar, so it’s fortunate for them that there’s an exchange traded fund (ETF) to track it. WisdomTree Chinese Yuan Fund (CYB),... Continue Reading »

Tough Times May Fall On South Africa And ETF As Interest Rates Rise
June 17, 2008 – South Africa may be in for hard times ahead, news that may affect its exchange traded fund (ETF) . The recent run of solid growth may get stunted as higher interest rates are looming,... Continue Reading »

Platinum ETFs In London Squeeze A Tight Market
May 25, 2008 – One commodity in particular seems to be paying the price for the growing popularity of exchange traded funds (ETFs): platinum. There are platinum ETFs listed in both London and Zurich. The two funds together... 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 »

Individual Investors Seem to Gravitate to ETFs
May 14, 2008 – The stock rating system on the Motley Fool is slowly seeing exchange traded funds (ETFs) making up the top ten. And now, six of the top ten stocks are actually ETFs. Before we proceed, CAPS... Continue Reading »

Northern Trust Launches Three More International ETFs
May 14, 2008 – Northern Trust is providing more choices for investors who want international exposure in their exchange traded fund (ETF) portfolios with the launch of three more funds. The new funds, which cover Italy, South Africa and... Continue Reading »

South African ETF Digging Its Way Up
May 7, 2008 – The South African benchmark rose its highest since March 25, mining strong performance for its exchange traded fund (ETF). The FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index rose by its largest amount since March 25 yesterday.... Continue Reading »

Northern Trust Enters ETF Arena With First ETFs To Track Major Foreign Market Indexes
May 5, 2008 – With its new line of exchange traded funds (ETFs), Northern Trust opted to stay true to their principles while traveling around the world. Is it a sign that ETFs are slowly entering the mainstream... Continue Reading »

Foreign Currency ETF Offerings to Pour In Next Month
April 25, 2008 – Exchange traded fund (ETF) providers Dreyfus and WisdomTree are teaming up to offer five actively managed foreign currency ETFs next month. They will include the WisdomTree Dreyfus Euro Fund, Japanese Yen Fund, Indian Rupee Fund,... Continue Reading »

PowerShares Registers for Frontier Countries ETF
April 24, 2008 – The possible choices for exchange traded fund (ETF) investors interested in the Middle East/Africa region continues to grow. On Monday, Invesco PowerShares registered to launch a new ETF that would focus on companies domiciled... Continue Reading »

Gold and Silver ETFs Tumble as Dollar Toughens Up
April 24, 2008 – While the dollar strengthened yesterday and the price of oil pulled back slightly, the price of gold and its exchange traded funds (ETFs) took the hit. June gold fell to $909 an ounce, and at... Continue Reading »

Platinum Demand to Remain High; Could It Lead Investors to ETN?
April 19, 2008 – Platinum is projected to maintain a supply deficit this year, and one way for investors to benefit is with exchange traded notes (ETNs). There is currently a deficit of 360,800 ounces this year, and it’s... Continue Reading »

If Investment Remains Solid, Infrastructure ETFs Could Gather Strength
April 15, 2008 – An exchange traded fund (ETF) can be a better proxy for a sector than a single stock. It takes the guesswork right out of investing. Diversification is another element that is added when using... Continue Reading »

On Tight Supply, Gold Is Forecast to Top Records, ETFs Could Follow
March 26, 2008 – A London investment manager expects that tightness in the gold supply could send prices soaring to new records that could affect exchange traded funds (ETFs), particularly those that hold the precious metal. Gold has taken... Continue Reading »

Coal Has a Smudged Reputation, But Can KOL ETF Rise Above It?
March 22, 2008 – Coal is hardly glamorous - it’s got a bad reputation as a dirty pollutant, but it can be a smoking bet in an exchange traded fund (ETF). Gold is taking the limelight at the moment,... Continue Reading »

Effects of the Price of Gold, Platinum Isn’t Just Limited to ETFs
March 21, 2008 – We all know that the price of gold and gold exchange traded funds (ETFs) have been on an upward trend for awhile now, but not everyone knows why this matters and how it works. David... Continue Reading »

South Africa Needs to Fix Up Infrastructure for ETF to Take Off
March 19, 2008 – South African markets are growing, and once the country irons out its infrastructure problems, its exchange traded fund (ETF) could begin seeing consistently strong performance. For now, power outages continue to plague the country and... Continue Reading »

ETF Investors Dig for Platinum, Gold and Silver
March 5, 2008 – Yes, investors are flocking to gold exchange traded funds (ETFs) as the dollar weakens. Case in point is streetTRACKS Gold Shares (GLD): after gold surged to a record $992 an ounce earlier this week, the... Continue Reading »

Metal and Mining ETFs Are So Bright, You Have to Wear Shades
February 20, 2008 – Metal and mining exchange traded funds (ETFs) continue to get a rise from a slowing dollar here and continued power outages in South Africa. Yesterday, the SPDR S&P Metals and Mining (XME) jumped to a... Continue Reading »

Platinum Price Skyrockets, But There’s No ETF to Choo-Choo-Choose
February 14, 2008 – Platinum prices jumped in January because of the power outage in South Africa - too bad there’s no exchange traded fund (ETF) for the precious metal available here in the United States. Prices will... Continue Reading »

Precious Metals And ETFs Reaching Historic Highs
February 11, 2008 – Precious metals and related exchange traded funds (ETFs) are making all-time records right now. Platinum hit a new record high of $1,850 an ounce Thursday. Investors were drawn to the metal after the concerns... Continue Reading »

No ETF for Israel Yet, but You Can Still Get Exposure
February 8, 2008 – There’s no direct exposure to Israel via exchange traded funds (ETFs) - at least not yet. What’s an investor to do? Zack Miller for Israel Opportunity Investor says that the SPDR Emerging Middle East (GAF)... Continue Reading »

Infrastructure ETFs Could Build Up in Weak Economy
February 8, 2008 – Weakness in the economy isn’t the only thing dogging exchange traded funds (ETFs) as well as both developed and emerging markets: the infrastructure is hurting, too. Scott Jagow for Marketplace reports that one only need to... Continue Reading »

Golden Expectations In 2008 For Related ETFs
February 6, 2008 – Gold-focused exchange traded funds (ETFs) will gleam from the idea that the precious metal will likely peak at just more than $1,000 per ounce in 2008, according to a London-based consultancy firm. Gold is... Continue Reading »

South Africa’s Blackouts Dim ETF
February 1, 2008 – The blackouts in South Africa might be good for the price of gold, platinum and diamonds, but it’s wreaking havoc across other sectors and in the country’s exchange traded fund (ETF). Since late last... Continue Reading »

Gold Stock, or ETF?
January 30, 2008 – What is an investor to do when he or she wants a gold miner’s exchange traded fund (ETF) without all the attendant risks? That was the dilemma facing Trader Mark at Seeking Alpha. In the wake... Continue Reading »

Are ETFs And Gold In Danger Along With South Africa’s Mines?
January 28, 2008 – Gold and platinum prices hit a new high on Friday, as one of South Africa’s main metal mines was forced to shut down because of a lack of power, which could affect focused exchange... Continue Reading »

Ever Heard of SPDR Emerging Middle East, Africa?
January 20, 2008 – Which exchange traded fund (ETF) receives little news coverage has an elusive, mis-titled name? The SPDR Emerging Middle East and Africa ETF (GAF). The fund has been in the shadow of most emerging markets funds... Continue Reading »

WisdomTree Could Launch Money Market ETFs
January 19, 2008 – WisdomTree filed for 12 new money market exchange traded funds (ETFs) to cover 17 different foreign and emerging markets. The new funds are similar to the Rydex CurrencyShares funds with two major differences:  (1) They... Continue Reading »

Northern Trust Readies to Enter the ETF Marketplace
November 23, 2007 – There’s a new kid on the block of exchange traded funds (ETFs). Northern Trust is entering the  market with a big splash, by offering 19 foreign-market funds, according to Jesse Emspak at Investor’s Business... 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 »

South Africa ETF (EZA) Empowers Investors
September 12, 2007 – The exchange traded fund (ETF) iShares MSCI South Africa Index (EZA) could see movement on the news that its largest holding, Sasol, announced plans to transfer 10% of the group to employees and black... Continue Reading »

Which Emerging-market ETF Is Right for You?
September 2, 2007 – Emerging-market exchange traded funds (ETFs) have been popular lately because of their generally strong performance over the past few years. The great thing about emerging-market ETFs is that there is wide selection; almost every... Continue Reading »

Political Events Can Impact Emerging-market ETFs
August 23, 2007 – Emerging markets and their exchange traded funds (ETFs) appear as if they are stabilizing despite the subprime storm. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEM), for example, is up 5.6% since the market low on... Continue Reading »

South Africa ETF Holds Fresh Fields for Investors
July 30, 2007 – South Africa, "the final frontier," can be accessed by U.S. investors only through the iShares MSCI South Africa Index (EZA) exchange traded fund (ETF). South Africa has the largest economy on the continent of... Continue Reading »

Mining the Latest Scoop on South Africa’s ETF
July 9, 2007 – There are many reasons to love South Africa, including its exchange traded fund (ETF). One of the reasons being that iShares MSCI South Africa Index (EZA) is up 12.5% for the year-to-date. Another reason... Continue Reading »

South African ETF-A Good Ride
May 16, 2007 – Although South Africa has some social problems to tend to, the economy seems to be in good shape and the iShares MSCI South Africa (EZA) exchange traded fund (ETF) is feeling the upward trend... Continue Reading »

South Africa Follows ETF Trends
May 2, 2007 – Four new exchange traded funds (ETFs) will launch on the Johannesburg stock exchange during the next few months. This brings the total ETFs on the South African exchange to 13. Two Itrix products- one... Continue Reading »