Halloween is here, and many are wondering if this year will bring tricks or treats for exchange traded fund (ETF) investors and the investment community.
The Friday before Halloween delivered a treat in the form of GDP numbers: for the third-quarter, they rose 2%. That’s slightly better than the 1.7% analysts expected. Chris Versace for The Washington Post reports that there are a few other possible tricks or maybe treats, that investors will be eyeing:
- First and foremost is the upcoming Election Day and what that may or may not mean in terms of change. Which bills are likely to pass and which will be repealed?
- Halloween may begin to fell more like Christmas. Stores are edging toward making Halloween the starting line for holiday shopping. In many stores, the seasonal sales and promotions begin this weekend, kicking off an early Black Friday, says Dale McFeatters for Scripps News.
Take a look at the retail fund such as Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (NYSEArca: VCR) to see which way the shopping sentiment is turning this holiday season. The ETF gives exposure to places such as Target (NYSE: TGT) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), which may get an early sugar rush from seasonal buying.
And if you want to play the love of chocolate, take a look at PowerShares Dynamic Food and Beverage (NYSEArca: PBJ), which holds 2.7% of Hershey (NYSE: HSY).
Happy Halloween from ETF Trends!
The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product.