Also, Fed leaves rates unchanged.

Broad-based, cap-weighted funds ceded no ground to strategic beta last year.

Definitions have remained elusive.

Ask anyone for the top five advantages of ETFs and you’ll get a familiar list: Lower fees. Better tax efficiency. Intraday liquidity. Market coverage. Transparency.

Emerging markets are no longer considered a fringe asset class. Rather, they’re now accepted as a core part of any standard portfolio. The emerging markets ETFs space is currently dominated by two similar offerings from Vanguard and BlackRock, both of which track the same index. However, there are a number of alternatives—some of them quite new—that might hold appeal for investors with specific goals or needs.

With the economies of the U.S. and Western Europe falling into or nearing recession, the idea of diversifying one's portfolio into emerging markets takes on greater significance...