Sector ETFs

Following a bullish start to 2010, a quick three-day plunge shows investors are still playing defensively. Investors placed bearish put option bets worth more than $1.2 billion in stock on several top exchange-traded funds. A total of 400,000 contracts were traded in the Materials Select Sector SPDR fund (XLB: Quote, Profile, Advanced Chart, News), the [...]

PowerShares has filed to create 10 new small cap ETFs to take advantage of extreme investor demand for niche industry ETFs. Small cap stock funds have been in heavy demand, with investors betting small names will outperform larger companies in a year of recovery. The ten new proposed funds are as follows: 1. PowerShares S&P [...]

There are many ways to skin the exchange-traded fund cat beyond simply short and long positions. In fact, one popular exchange-traded fund generated extra returns to investors by lending their shares last year. Even with an annual fee, State Street beat its benchmark by .26% last year on its popular Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund [...]

PowerShares has filed with the SEC to tap into a highly demanded exchange-traded fund niche. In the filing, four funds, three sector specific bond funds, and one convertible bond fund are outlined to tap into incredible demand for fixed income ETFs. The four funds are as follows: 1. PowerShares Financial Corporate Bond Portfolio 2. PowerShares [...]

Although new exchange-traded funds are launching into the market at a blistering pace, Claymore is closing four ETFs due to a lack of investor interest. The four funds to be shuttered are as follows: 1. Claymore/Morningstar Information Super Sector Index (MZN) 2. Claymore/Morningstar Manufacturing Super Sector Index (MZG) 3. Claymore/Morningstar Services Super Sector Index (MZO) [...]

Global X Funds will take on its largest expansion yet, filing with the SEC to create thirteen new ETFs. Six of the new funds will target Chinese sectors, while the other seven are set to tap markets typically unavailable to U.S. investors. The Chinese funds are as follows: Global X Consumer, Global X China Energy, [...]

Rather than create leveraged ETFs, banks are finding it easier to create structured products that leverage investments on the investor’s end, instead of leveraging on the ETF’s end. The new products, which stand to benefit from poor publicity surrounding leveraged ETFs, are more like exchange-traded notes than ETFs. JP Morgan has introduced a new structured [...]

Global X Management has launched a new ETF on NYSE Arca, allowing American traders to invest in Nordic European countries. The Global X FTSE Nordic 30 ETF (GXF) offers exposure to the largest and most liquid stocks in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway. The new ETF will track the FTSE Nordic 30 index minus fees [...]

Throughout the 800 ETFs floating on the exchanges, many overlap either in sectors, timeframes, or in the securities tracked. However, ETF Securities, an ETF issuer new to the US markets, is proving that there may be room for more than one ETF in many investment areas. ETF Securities launched its first US exchange-traded fund ETFS [...]

Consumer staples producers are usually recession-resistant, buoyed by necessary demand from consumers. However, the depth of the current recession has hurt even the consumer staples industry, sending related ETFs lower. The once categorized “safe investment,” Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP: Quote, Profile, Advanced Chart, News), faced a major performance blow as its leading holding, [...]