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...

Perhaps it is a sign of investors’ diminishing expectations of near-term inflation. Or maybe it is an ominous sign for high-flying housing ETFs. Whatever the interpretation is, there is no getting around the fact that lumber futures are tumbling. For much of February and early March, Chicago-traded...

The exchange traded fund industry has come a long way from its first offering two decades ago, covering alternative asset classes along with index stock and bond holdings. Consequently, the industry has lined up behind virtual conferences and road shows in making education a priority. Foward, Eaton...

FTSE Group is helping Vanguard expand its offerings overseas as the index provider licenses developed European, Asia ex-Japan, Japan and world stock benchmarks for four new Ireland-listed exchange traded funds. According to a press release, Vanguard will utilize four FTSE indices, the FTSE...

Yield generation has been a hot topic as investors look for alternative income sources in a low-rate environment. ALPS with Rich Investment Solutions recently launched an exchange traded fund that seeks to provide income through a sophisticated options strategy. The U.S. Equity High Volatility Put...

You may have noticed an interesting news story a couple weeks back about Apple selling a record $17bn in bonds – the largest corporate bond deal in history.  While the deal didn’t have much to do with ETFs per se, you can bet that whenever the words “record” and “bonds” are being tossed around...

ETF Spotlight on the Arrow Dow Jones Global Yield ETF (NYSEArca: GYLD), part of an ongoing series. Assets: $80.1 million. Objective: The Arrow Dow Jones Global Yield ETF tries to reflect the performance of the Doe Jones Global Composite Yield Index, which follows a multi-asset strategy comprised of...

Innovative exchange traded fund provider WisdomTree Investments is hoping it has another winner with a new ETF focused on dividend-paying stocks with growth traits. The New York-based asset manager on Wednesday launched WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Growth Fund (NasdaqGM: DGRW). The fund charges an...

The iShares Biotech ETF (NasdaqGM: IBB) is up more than 30% so far in 2013 and other exchange traded funds tracking the sector are raking in money are investors chase the hot performance. Other funds in the category include SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (NYSEArca: XBI), First Trust AMEX Biotechnology...

Shares of electric car maker Tesla (NasdaqGS: TSLA) were up a staggering 65.1% since the start of May 1 heading into Wednesday’s trading session, but Tesla’s story stock status is not benefiting the lone auto ETF. Or at least Tesla is not benefiting that ETF much. The First Trust NASDAQ Global Auto...

To better help investors allocate toward essential portfolio holdings, Blackrock’s iShares launched its line of “Core” exchange traded funds late last year. So far, the lower fees and broader market exposure have helped the new core offerings. The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF...

Mexico based equities have been punished for most of the month of May, with the largest ETF in the category, EWW (iShares Mexico, Expense Ratio 0.52%) finally taking a breather today on its 200 day MA after trading significantly lower yesterday intraday ($67.62) on very heavy trading volume. EWW...

Active mutual fund managers are supposed to earn their keep by outperforming their benchmarks. Therefore, investors in expensive large-cap funds that are simply replicating the index should probably move into cheaper index funds and ETFs tied to the S&P 500. Morningstar associate editor Adam...