With the end of each week comes the anticipation of weekend relaxation and revelry. However, it was an anticipatory tone that was evident with many of this week’s most searched ETFs on ETF Trends.
At this point, it is starting to sound like a broken, but the anticipation surrounding Alibaba’s initial public offering is, well, intense. That anticipation is also palpable when it comes to heavily searched ETFs as the three ETFs expected to be the first to add shares of Alibaba were among this week’s most searched tickers.
Not surprisingly, that trio is led by the KraneShares CSI China Internet Fund (NasdaqGM: KWEB), which will add Alibaba after the stock’s eleventh trading day. The closer we get to the Alibaba IPO, the more apparent it becomes that the company will be significant holding in KWEB and that ETF’s cousin, the KraneShares CSI China Five Year Plan ETF (NYSEArca: KFYP). [What Alibaba Means for ETFs]
Also among this week’s most searched ETFs, KFYP will also add Alibaba after its eleventh trading day. Alibaba IPO fever has also been helpful to the Renaissance IPO ETF (NYSEArca: IPO), sending the ETF onto the most searched list and to new all-time highs this week. IPO, it should be noted, will be the first ETF to add Alibaba, doing so after the stock’s fifth trading day. [Alibaba Fever Lifts IPO ETF]
In a case of anticipation perhaps carried too far, Alibaba is not even a public company and folks are already talking about potential acquisition targets. Some are cloud-computing companies and that elevated the First Trust ISE Cloud Computing Index Fund (NasdaqGM: SKYY) onto this week’s list.
Keep with the theme of anticipation, the iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF’s (NYSEArca: EWU) and the CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust (NYSEArca: FXB) make rare appearances on this week’s most searched list. Weakness in British equities and the pound has been a prominent theme as investors brace for next week’s referendum on Scottish independence. [Scottish Independence a Problem for U.K. ETFs]
Let’s just keep going with this anticipation because it is becoming apparent that investors are anticipating lower gold prices and more strength for the U.S. dollar. The SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEArca: GLD) and rival gold ETFs slid about 2.6% on the week as chatter increases that bullion will be decimated by higher interest rates from the Federal Reserve. Of course, there is nothing like the perfect storm of flailing foreign currencies, depressed commodities prices and higher rates to boost the dollar.