iShares

Rising oil prices have pushed up returns offered by energy based ETFs even as ETFs tracking crude oil prices have lagged behind. Prices are rising on account of political disturbance in Libya and East and North Africa and investors are preferring energy ETFs over oil based ETFs. Market forces prevent the latter from tracking the [...]

Exchange traded equity funds saw outflows in excess of $2.17 billion in the week that ended on Feb 2. US based funds saw inflow of $4.2 billion during the same period. Investors are shying away from investing wholly in emerging markets. The global economic crisis in 2008 saw investors preferring emerging markets as investment destinations. [...]

The world’s largest ETF provider, Black Rock’s iShares, has filed to open two new quant strategy funds.  With almost $600 billion under management, this move represents a departure from their more straightforward index-based products.The goal is to reduce losses from the stock markets’ worst periods by using mathematical techniques developed by index provider MSCI Inc.  [...]

Among ETF providers, Vanguard has received the best adviser loyalty score in the industry. In a Cogent Research study of 1,560 investment advisers around the nation, Vanguard ranked as the favorite. The Cogent study took into account various factors to determine the top issuer. According to the Wall Street Journal, a standardized loyalty scale was [...]

Emerging market ETFs have been performing favorably and have seen major inflows over the past several months. While there is great investment interest in these markets, it is important to proceed with caution. According to the press release, asset-allocation experts recommend US investors use a 2.5:1 ratio when investing in foreign markets. That is, a [...]

Homebuilder exchange-traded funds held strong this week despite weak housing data released for the month of June. Both SPDR S&P Home Builders ETF (XHB: Profile, Quote, Advanced Chart, News) and iShares Dow Jones US Home Construction (ITB: Profile, Quote, Advanced Chart, News) are closing out the week on a good note. The two ETFs gained [...]

BlackRock, the ETF provider of the popular iShares brand, has just launched nine international sector ETFs that provide exposure to both developed and emerging markets. The new ETFs will trade on the NYSE Arca. The unique funds will track their respective MSCI All Country World ex USA sector index and carry a 0.48% expense ratio, [...]

When it comes to investing in a gold ETF, the most common place for investors to turn is the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD: Profile, Quote, Advanced Chart, News). GLD is not only the most popular ETF in the precious metals industry, but it is one of the most heavily traded funds in the entire [...]

This week Taiwan and China will be finalizing a major economic pact that will significantly enhance trade between the two countries. As a result, ETFs that track these two markets are projected to reap the benefits. The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, which is scheduled to be finalized on Tuesday, will most notably reduce tariffs on [...]

China will be providing more exposure to its currency and ETFs related to the country have responded quite favorably in the US. The Chinese yuan will now trade more freely against the U.S. dollar, according to MarketWatch. The news gave a lift to Chinese-specific ETFs. Two notable ETFs started out the week on the right [...]