Individual investors who piled into hot-performing Japan ETFs this year could end up holding the bag if this week’s Nikkei plunge is the start of something worse. WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity (NYSEArca: DXJ) and iShares MSCI Japan (NYSEArca: EWJ) are the two best-selling ETFs this year, reeling...

“What worries you the most?” “What keeps you up at night?” I get these questions a lot from investors looking for insight into what might cause the next market correction. These questions are even more in focus now, given the drop in global markets that we witnessed on Thursday. As I write in my...

Amid the increase in market volatility recently, it is easy and understandably so, for some to overlook new ETF launches. This is expected since most portfolio managers and larger institutions tend to generally require some minimum length of live tracking data or “live seasoning,” before...

If exchange traded funds are good for the United States Secretary of the Treasury, who overseas financial and monetary matters for the U.S., then the investment vehicle might be a suitable tool for the average retail investor. According to an Executive Branch Disclosure form filed in May 2012,...

The past two days have been a bloodbath in Japan ETFs but funds that hedge their currency exposure have suffered even more as the yen strengthens. For example, WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity (NYSEArca: DXJ) and db X-trackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity Fund (NYSEArca: DBJP) were down 3.6% and 3.8%,...

India has selected Goldman Sachs (NYSEArca: GS) to manage an ETF that would invest in state-run firms, according to a report Friday. “The finance minister … has cleared the appointment. We have issued a letter to Goldman Sachs,” a finance ministry official told The Wall Street...

Junk debt ETFs such as iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond (NYSEArca: HYG) and SPDR Barclays High Yield Bond (NYSEArca: JNK) are on track for their third straight week of losses. The high-yield corporate bond ETFs are also diverging from the S&P 500, so the credit market doesn’t seem to be...

Some of the largest consumer staples ETFs should be in focus Friday after Dow component Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), the world’s largest consumer products company, announced that former CEO A.G. Lafley is returning in that capacity. Lafley, who is replacing the retiring Bob McDonald, will also...

The global economic outlook is brightening, and consumers are finally letting loose after years of penny pinching. With the improving confidence, Lady Luck is smiling on gaming stocks and exchange traded funds. The Market Vectors Gaming ETF (NYSEArca: BJK), which global gaming companies, has...

Exchange traded funds can be used for various investing styles due to their flexibility and simplicity. However, financial advisors want investors to know how ETFs can be most efficient and when to consider other options. “You could do all of your investing with the 1,000 or so ETFs, most of which...

Palladium exchange traded funds are outshining other precious metals as consumers, who have held kept their cars for the longest period in half a century, are feeling confident enough to buy new vehicles. Severe supply deficits are also helping to support prices. The ETFS Physical Palladium Shares...

High-risk, high-return equities have been on a hot streak, outpacing the big, boring dividend payers in the current market rally. However, looking at risk-adjusted returns, low-volatility stock exchange traded funds could outperform in the long run. “In nearly every market studied,...

Even with the Nikkei 225 plunging over 1,100 points Thursday, analysts remain positive that ongoing “Abenomics” will fuel economic growth, arguing that the temporary setback in Japanese equities and exchange traded funds is a healthy correction. “The decline in the Japanese stock...

The current low interest rate, low yield environment has sent investors scurrying to an array of destinations in an effort to generate income. Dividend stocks, high-yield bonds, MLPs and REITs remain popular choices for income-staved investors. ETFs that offer one-stop shopping for yield-starved...

It has been said that misery loves company. If that is indeed the case than sugar bulls can find solace in knowing that one of the world’s most consumed commodities is languishing along with plenty of others such as gold and silver. [Gold ETFs Lose Their Allure] To its credit, the iPath DJ-UBS...

RevenueShares, the ETF sponsor known for its six-ETF suite of revenue-weighted funds, landed a $7 million investment from a Chinese venture capital firm in exchange for a 22% stake in the issuer’s parent company. Suzhou Industrial Park Kaida Venture Capital specializes in funding high-tech and...

For as good as U.S. equities have been this year, and they have been quite good broadly speaking, finding an abundance of ETFs that are up 30% or more year-to-date is difficult. The job is made even harder when excluding ETFs that track Japan, one developed market that has outperformed the U.S....

I do the “ETF of the Week” for MarketWatch every Thursday on Chuck Jaffe’s MoneyLife Show where I highlight big movers and disappointments within the exchange traded fund market. This Thursday, I looked at the ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF (NYSEArca: SDOG). SDOG basically applies the “Dogs of...

Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL) has faced intense scrutiny lately over using foreign subsidiaries to cut its U.S. income taxes. Of course, no one likes to pay taxes, which is why the tax efficiency of stock ETFs versus mutual funds is a key selling point. The tax advantages of ETFs stem from how the...

Inverse (Short) and Leveraged “Bear” ETF Products linked to the Russell 2000 traded gigantic, if not historic volume yesterday, really accelerating following the FOMC minutes release. Take TZA (Direxion Daily Small Cap Bear 3X, Expense Ratio 0.95%) which saw more than 25 million shares change hands...

ETFs tracking Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, slumped Thursday in U.S. trade after a late-session slide sent Japanese shares tumbling to their worst one-day performance in more than two years during Thursday’s Asian session. Japan’s Nikkei 225 plunged 5.5% while the Topix Index slid 6.9%...

Gold ETFs are down nearly 20% this year. However, the poor performance shouldn’t discourage investors from maintaining a small percentage to the metal in their long-term portfolios for diversification, an inflation hedge and disaster insurance, some experts say. Todd Rosenbluth, senior director of...

The iShares FTSE China Large-Cap ETF (NYSEArca: FXI) declined more than 1% on Thursday to fall below its 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages following weak manufacturing data. HSBC said the preliminary or “flash” version of its Purchasing Managers’ Index for May was weaker than expected and...

There’s certainly no shortage of things to worry about right now related to the US economy. But one thing we’re not too worried about right now: Inflation. Not only is inflation low, but the latest numbers show it’s actually falling. And as I write in my commentary this week, inflation is unlikely...

Fallout from the astonishing overnight decline in Japanese stocks is having a predictable impact on popular ETFs such as the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund (NYSEArca: DXJ) and the iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund (NYSEArca: EWJ). The sell-off in Japanese equities, Asia’s best performers in 2013,...

One hot area in the ETF market is bond products that provide decent yields while also providing some cushion against the negative impact of rising interest rates. For example, bank loan ETFs such as PowerShares Senior Loan Portfolio (NYSEArca: BKLN) have seen hefty inflows this year. They pay...

Twice as in a second interest rate cut and will it be good news for the iShares MSCI Israel Capped Investable Market Index Fund (NYSEArca: EIS). Believe it or not, less than two weeks after the Bank of Israel surprisingly lowered interest rates by 25 basis points to 1.5%, there is chatter the...

It will be interesting to see how much of the hot money that has flooded into Japanese ETFs will run for cover after the Nikkei’s stunning 1,000-point drawdown Thursday. WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity (NYSEArca: DXJ) and iShares MSCI Japan (NYSEArca: EWJ) were down about 8% in early U.S. trading....

There is no shortage of thirst for income and yield among investors. Nor is there are a dearth of available ETFs with which to quench that thirst as fund sponsors have met investors’ desire for income products with a spate of new dividend ETF introductions over the past year. [State Street Readies...

Over the past month, copper prices have reached the lowest level in 18 months, dipping below US$7000 per tonne, as concerns over the robustness of Chinese growth have weighed on the outlook for demand. Early indications of a decoupling from other cyclical assets like equities suggest that...