MSCI, S&P, FTSE Create Index Industry Trade Group
In ETF News> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
MSCI, S&P Indices and FTSE have created a global trade body for the index industry, called the Index Industry Association (IIA). The IIA will form an official, representative body, with a remit that includes educating investors on the attributes and role of indices within the investment process and advocating the interests of index users and […] Read More

13 March, 2012

Indexing Beats Hedge Fund Investing
In ETF News> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
A brief, but intriguing blog post over at SeekingAlpha–written a a self-proclaimed gear-head backed by compelling research suggests that returns using straight-forward indexing has trumped fast-money hedge fund investing for each of the past five years. As illustrated by the table below (the full article can be accessed by clicking the image), blogger/private investor Jeff […] Read More

13 March, 2012

Traders & Brokers Best Bets For MarchMadness: Destinations
In Global Macro Strategy> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
Until your favorite broker has scored you Final Four tix in the Big Easy, you’ll either be in your own easy (chair), or stepping out your trade to a local venue to take in NCAA’s March Madness tourney.  For those of you in Manhattan’s Melting Pot, these are best bets. You’ll have to keep reading […] Read More

12 March, 2012

ETFs for #MarchMadness
In ETF News> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
Someone with the handle “ETF Professor” is said to have studiously researched specific ETFs (and a few single stocks) that might bounce higher thanks to the billions that will be spent promoting, viewing, betting, and let’s not forget dining and imbibing, in the course of this week’s NCAA March Madness. At the risk of diluting […] Read More

12 March, 2012

Fidelity Snags State Street ETF Czar: Rumors Abound
In ETF News, People Profiles> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
In a “if you can’t beat ’em, poach ’em” moment, mutual fund monster Fidelity Investments has apparently thrown in the towel and will finally focus on running their own actively-managed sector-specific ETFs. At least that’s the obvious conclusion being drawn by industry watchers after news of Fidelity, which still only offers one house-branded ETF, announced […] Read More

9 March, 2012

WisdomTree Gets Wise With Corporate Bond ETF
In ETF News> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
WisdomTree, the publicly traded New York-based ETF sponsor, today rolled out the market’s first broad-based emerging market corporate bond ETF, beating iShares and State Street Global Advisors to the punch. The WisdomTree Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund (NasdaqGM: EMCB) is an actively managed portfolio consisting of dollar-denominated investment-grade corporate bonds from issuers in Asia, Latin […] Read More

9 March, 2012

Fixed Income ETF Fans Tune In Here
In ETF News, People Profiles> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
It’s a big bowl of alphabet soup when it comes to quenching your appetite for fixed income ETFs. On today’s menu you’ll find that a small smorgasborg of just these alone will get you through the first of several courses: EUO, UUP, ELD, XLU, IDU. There’s not enough room right here to go into further […] Read More

9 March, 2012

Preferencing Preferred’s: PFF a BFF For Financials’ Fans?
In ETF News, People Profiles> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
For those following flows, and in particular, fans of financials, a stand-out seems to be iShares’ U.S. Preferred Stock Index fund (NYSE ARCA:PFF), which is currently trading to yield 7%. Preferred stocks, which are historically considered to be second-class citizens by those seeking “oomph” and predominantly issued by financial firms (75% of Pfd’s are courtesy […] Read More

8 March, 2012

New NASDAQ Fees Targets HFTs
In Tech Talk> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
Whether in effort to placate regulators who have put high-frequency traders in their cross-hairs, or simply in effort to increase revenue via new fees, or maybe even in effort to keep competitive, NASDAQ OMX announced that effective June 1, traders on its three exchanges will be charged a fee for posting an excessive number of […] Read More

8 March, 2012

Is It Time To Bet on Consumers? Why #XLY?
In ETF News> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
Optimists are opining that consumers are on the verge of waking up from a spending slumber that, for the better part of the past 3+ years, has impeded the shift from recession to rejuvenation and kept a cap on discretionary debits to their credit card. What with gas pump prices percolating and interest on fixed […] Read More

8 March, 2012

Your Girl’s Best Friend is Now an ETF..
In ETF News> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
How can you not keep reading after that shining headline?..courtesy of Jason Kephart over at InvestmentNews.. In the category of “what will they think of next?” IndexIQ has apparently scratched a new surface–IN reports that IQ has filed to offer the first physically-backed diamond ETF. The IQ Physical Diamond Shares ETF will work along the […] Read More

7 March, 2012

Thomson Reuters Adds Social Media Sentiment Tool
In Tech Talk> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
Courtesy of James Armstrong at Traders Mag.. Thomson Reuters announced today it is adding a new social media sentiment analysis feed to its machine-readable news product. The service, which already gives users access to news from Reuters and about 50 third-party services, will now provide information from up to 50,000 news sites and four million […] Read More

7 March, 2012

ETN Focus: Risk On, Risk Off..For HF Traders Only?
In ETF News, People Profiles> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
Market wisdom:markets go up and prices go down. When it comes to selecting an ETF or ETN that might make you a sage when managing money for risk-sensitive,sophisticated investors, UBS ETRACS launched a twin-set product back in the dull days of December, one of which might whet your hedge-fund like appetite for risk management in […] Read More

6 March, 2012

Hearing is Believing: ETF Best Ex Expert Says…
In ETF News, People Profiles> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
As US equity indexes search for a trading session bottom from which to bounce today, traders are slamming their phones in frustration when discovering the screen markets are as clear as a very cloudy day. Nothing new on that front..as ETF market experts will repeatedly repeat “don’t expect to find deep liquidity on the screens, […] Read More

6 March, 2012

Risk OFF! And, What Top Hedge Funds Say (or…
In ETF News, People Profiles> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
This morning’s precipitous decline in major equity indexes comes as no surprise to anyone, even if its the first Triple-Digit Decline in the Dow in 3 months. Synonymous with big market moves, we think about what hedge funds are doing right now, and whether or not they’re exploiting ETFs as part of their hedging strategies. […] Read More

6 March, 2012

Betting on Benchmarks : MDY + IJR Out-Performs SPY
In ETF News, Strike Price> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
Private investor and SeekingAlpha contributor Richard Bloch makes a noteworthy observation when suggesting that “MDY + IJR > SPY”. Bloch’s thesis is that investing in the S&P 1500, but without the top 500 would have produced noticeably better returns. In fact, Bloch’s analysis includes not only a 10-yr look-back on comparing a $5000 investment in […] Read More

5 March, 2012

The Skew is The Clue: VIX Spread Widens
In ETF News, Strike Price> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
Even if the WSJ is a bit slow on the uptick re: noticing the recent anomaly in VIX skew volatility that we commented on last week, Chris Dieterich’s WSJ weekend story, “Surge in FIX Futures Volumes Driven By Bigger Risk Appetites” makes note of the fact that last month’s daily trading volume of VIX futures […] Read More

5 March, 2012

BlackRock Bulks Up in Europe: Expanding “ETP Education” Campaign
In ETF News, People Profiles> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
However much the use of ETF and ETP products in Euro-Land continues to grow,  Global ETF Issuer iShares knows that it can grow faster and bigger. Consistent with parent company BlackRock Inc.’s focus on staying in front of the pack, and as reported by IndexUniverseEU staff, iShares has recently introduced a “due diligence tool” aimed […] Read More

2 March, 2012