State Street Global Advisors

Vanguard, one of the largest ETF issuers, will soon have 19 more funds in their lineup. The new ETFs will track a variety of indexes; however, the most notable will be the S&P 500. Vanguard ETFs are made up of share classes of the company’s index funds. Among the 19 new ETFs are funds to [...]

A handful of weak economic indicators has propelled gold to an all-time high. With a blend of low interest rates, weak dollar, rising jobless claims, and erratic equities, U.S. investors are fleeing to the shelter of gold. Gold futures closed at a record high of $1,248.70 an ounce Thursday. SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD: Profile, [...]

Assets continued to flow into U.S. exchange-traded funds last month despite volatile market conditions. Popular commodity funds were a major reason for the sustained growth.  During the month of May, it was the commodity class that attracted the most assets. According to the press release, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD: Profile, Quote, Advanced Chart, News) lead [...]

Two sponsors, PowerShares and State Street Global Advisors, are fighting for control over the Build America Bond space. The two firms, both competitors, have battled on annual expense ratios, but now PowerShares is looking to take the space with another issue. The newest Build America Bond ETF is none other than the PowerShares Intermediate Build [...]

Only two of the top ten mutual funds by assets under management have produced returns beating their benchmarks this year, falling behind exchange-traded funds in ROI due to their heavier annual expenses. The two funds to top their benchmarks were products of Fidelity Investments, a company yet to move into the exchange-traded fund space. However, [...]

At the surface, real estate and consumer confidence numbers may appear to have little in common. However, as consumer confidence continues to rise, commercial REITs offer a unique opportunity to investors. Analysts believe improving consumer confidence numbers could help commercial real estate investment trusts, which have been some of the hardest hit during the “Great [...]

Through structured products, exchange-traded funds are earning another use by the banking industry. Normally centered on popular indexes, structured products can better track returns with exchange-traded funds. Two banks, Bank of America and Credit Suisse, both issued notes this week using exchange-traded funds as their underlying indexes. Bank of America launched a two-year leveraged note [...]

The new financial overhaul bill circulating around Washington could have a profound impact on many under-diversified financial ETFs. The Dow Jones U.S. Financial Services Index Fund (IYG: Quote, Profile, Advanced Chart, News) in particular is in danger should the bill pass. One of the largest provisions in the bill is meant to protect consumers from [...]

With gold soaring due to fears about the economy, many investors are beginning to ask where exactly their gold is stored. Where is it? London. SPDR Gold Trust (GLD: Quote, Profile, Advanced Chart, News) quickly became one of the top holders of physical gold in the world. Now with over $48 billion in assets, the [...]

Alongside the popular Build America Bond ETF by PowerShares, State Street has launched another similar exchange-traded fund. The State Street fund offers little difference against PowerShares’ ETF, even adopting the same (.35%) annual expense as its PowerShares rival. State Street’s fund is designed to track a new category of municipal debt subsidized in part by [...]