- First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy (NYSEArca: QCLN)
- Market Vectors Nuclear Energy (NYSEArca: NLR)
- Claymore/MAC Global Solar Energy (NYSEArca: TAN)
Our economy. Despite huge rallies in the stock markets, Treasuries are still in high demand as a safe haven. Bonds serve to reduce volatility in a portfolio while generating income – the quarterly, semi-annual or annual fixed income is generally more than dividend payments from stocks. [What’s the deal with bond ETFs?] Obama also said he wanted to see exports double in the next five years, as well as tax cuts that would put more cash in the hands of small business owners.
- iShares Barclays 7-10 Year Treasury Fund (NYSEArca: IEI)
- iShares Russell 2000 Index (NYSEArca: IWM)
- SPDRs (NYSEArca: SPY)
Inflation? The Federal Reserve yesterday said that inflation is expected to remain low for the time being, and Obama didn’t address the issue much in his speech, choosing to focus on job creation. With practically every country in the world rolling out billions to ease the burdens of the financial crisis, the possibility of high inflation has a lot of people seeking a safe haven in gold. Furthermore, many countries are not yet in good fiscal health, the United States included. Additional sovereign-debt downgrades from ratings agencies are but one potential trigger of a currency crisis, which could make gold an appealing store of value. [Reasons gold may still have life left.]
- SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEArca: GLD)
Max Chen contributed to this article.