Category Archives: Destinations

Our in-house Trader’s Concierge is always saying “Where’s The Beef?!”…So this is where we’ll share insider tips on Dining Out, Venues, Clubs, Resorts…don’t be shy if you want to disclose a new trade!

Wall St. Traders Take a Break to Jump Through Hoops; Bloomberg LP Shout-Out for Autism Speaks Raises Big Bucks Reply

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According to Nielsen Ratings, Bloomberg LP’s 1st Annual Market Madness 3-on-3 Charity Basketball Tourney, which took place on April 8th at Pier 36’s Basketball City, did not draw as many eyeballs as the NCAA Men’s National Basketball Championship held on the same night, but the event did bring out 25, 3-man teams representing the top trading and broking desks on Wall Street in a one night event that attracted 200 spectators and raised tens of thousands of dollars for Autism Speaks™.

bloomberg3x3

Bloomberg LP’s April 8 Market Madness at Basketball City in NY

In a post-event 360, Carrie Cliggett, the Bloomberg LP Market Madness event coordinator stated, “We’re thrilled to have had Wall Street’s top firms participate and so many fans turn out for what we look forward to be the first of many charity-focused seasons for Market Madness.” Ms. Cliggett was unable to comment as to whether Bloomberg TV might carry next season’s tournament on its broadcast network.

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Former UVa Champ and WallachBeth Mgn.Dir. Willie Dersch

Mixed in among squads from the “6-Pack firms”, there were more than a dozen trading and brokerage desks on the court, including 2 squads from ETF and options broker WallachBeth Capital. The team’s 6’6 player-coach Willie Dersch, a former co-captain of University of Virginia’s men’s basketball team (’00) was side-lined for the event due to injury, but inspired his team from the bench by offering tips to WB’s senior squad members Gene Cushman, Dana Martin, and Scott Saunders.

Noted Dersch, “Nobody can discount the talent that came out to compete; the best part was helping a really important cause.” WallachBeth also courted a junior team of rising Wall Street stars, comprised of 6’5 options desk associate Luke Greene, 6’2 power forward and ETF trader David Shaw, and trading desk guards Derek Sellhausen and Lee Blieberg.

Bloomberg LP underwrote all of the costs associated with producing the event and each team contributed a minimum of $1000 to participate. Bloomberg’s Cliggett would not comment on rumored matching contributions made by Bloomberg LP, its founder and New York City Major Michael Bloomberg, or Bloomberg CEO Daniel Doctoroff, but it is widely-known that Bloomberg executives have a propensity to ‘bid on’ in connection with company-endorsed philanthropic programs. The final tally raised for Autism Speaks ™ is therefore expected to be in the tens of thousands for this single-night program.

4th Annual World Series of ETFs-Boston Reply

Destinations, ETF News • Tags: , , , ,

wsetfs

Hosted by IMN, this is a must-attend event for hedge fund managers, institutional portfolio managers, RIAs and financial planners active within the exchange-traded-fund (ETF) space.

This year’s speakers and panelists include leading sell-side trading desk professionals, market strategists and top-gun investment managers.

Click on the image above for the conference website and more information.

Not So Bad After All For Europe ETFs Reply

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Courtesy of the ETF Professor at Benzinga.com

MarketsMuse extends our warm wishes to all of those celebrating the Jewish New Year and extending  you  “L’Shanah Tovah”

Today’s piece from ETF Professor couldn’t be better timed considering the upcoming (Oct 11)  European Investing & Trading Summit at London’s May Fair Hotel with a special ‘carve-out’ focused on ETF trading and liquidity across the Euro landscape.

Summit Coordinator MarketsMedia advises us at press time that the ETF trading session, hosted by WallachBeth Capital MD Andy McOrmond, is oversubscribed, but additional tix are being made available.

In theory, 2012 should have been a much darker year for ETFs tracking eurozone nations. Headlines have included speculation about Greece’s imminent departure from the eurozone, the need for a massive bailout of Spanish banks and Italy not being far behind in the bailout buffet line.

Then there are these facts. Italy is mired in a recession. Spain’s unemployment rate is over 20 percent and Greece could make the ominous switch to emerging market from developed market status.

Those are just a few of the issues Europe ETFs have had to deal with in 2012. Apparently, markets are not all that logical because while many global investors have anointed U.S. equities the toast of the developed world because the SPDR S&P 500 SPY -0.42% is up 16 percent year-to-date, some eurozone ETFs are doing quite well, too.

iShares MSCI France Index Fund EWQ -1.57%

France departed the AAA credit rating club earlier this year, but the CAC 40 Index has posted a gain of 11.2 percent year-to-date. The iShares MSCI France Index Fund has been even better with a gain of nearly 13 percent. A large part of the reason for EWQ’s good fortune is that many of its components derive the bulk of their revenue from outside the eurozone.

For example, Total TOT -1.56% and Sanofi SNY -1.40% account for about 22 percent of EWQ’s weight and neither is eurozone dependent. EWQ needs to move above $22.65 to confirm another breakout.

iShares MSCI Belgium Investable Market Index Fund EWK -0.94%

Belgium is another surprise eurozone winner this year, particularly because the country endured some ratings downgrades in late 2011. In fact, 2011 was so rough on EWK it was outperformed by the iShares MSCI Spain Index Fund EWP -2.96% and the iShares S&P Europe 350 Index Fund IEV -1.28% . More…

London’s Oct 11 “Euro Trading Summit” Said To Be Oversubscribed By Leading Euro-land PMs and Dealing Desk Heads; ETF Live Trading Session a Major Attraction Reply

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    Considering the issuance calendar is chock full of interesting, high yield  deals, we’re hearing that tix for the Oct 11 European Trading & Investing Summit at the May Fair Hotel in London are oversubscribed.

Then again, when taking a look at the “who’s who” of European PM’s and senior dealing desk traders that will be in attendance,  coupled with a trading session that will include “live rounds” fired into the ETF marketplace, and followed by a private cocktail/networking  reception, its no surprise this single-day event could prove to be the single-best place for top Euro fund managers to be on that upcoming Thursday.

Aside from the live fire ETF session being hosted by New York-based WallachBeth Capital’s Andy McOrmond, the program agenda includes interactive, forum discussions covering FX, Fixed Income Derivatives and Alternative Assets: Searching for Alpha.

Noted Andy McOrmond, “We know that the folks at MarketsMedia organize good programs, and because this particular conference is drawing in the top ETF-focused PMs and traders, we already know there won’t be enough seats to accommodate everyone.”

2012 Equity Options Conference-Industry Elite To Attend Sep 12-13 Reply

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For those institutional fund managers, hedge fund traders and anyone else that’s tired of watching the volatility shrink,  the Futures Industry Association is joining with the Options Industry Council to host a special conference this week (Sept 12 & 13th) at the New York Marriott Marquis.

However dry these programs tend to be, we’re actually excited about the Thursday Sept 13 (11:15 am) program “Changing Execution Landscape” whose panel members will include WallachBeth Capital Pres/COO David Beth, TABB Group’s Andy Nybo and Vishal Gupta, head of execution for Volant.

A New ETF Managed By ‘Random Roger’ Reply

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ImageCourtesy of Brendan Conway

Once upon a time, exchange-traded funds were simple index trackers. Nowadays you see the launch of products like the AdvisorShares Global Alpha & Beta ETF (RRGR).

This actively managed exchange-traded fund, which launched on NYSE Arca today, is built to reflect manager Roger Nusbaum’s ”tactical” and “global asset-allocation strategy (and his stock picks), with the aim of beating major indexes such as the S&P 500 and the Barclays Capital Aggregate Bond Index. It also has the unusual feature of buying and selling other ETFs. The “Random Roger” thing will be familiar if you’ve visited Nusbaum’s popular blog.

RRGR, which launched today on NYSE Arca, has a weighting of nearly 15% in the iShares Dow Jones U.S. Technology Sector Index Fund (IYW), 12% in cash, and 4% in the Vanguard Telecom Service ETF (VOX). HJ Heinz (HNZ), Kinder Morgan Emerging Partners (KMP) and Diageo PLC (DEO) are three of 11 stocks and ETFs that carry a 3% weighting, according to AdvisorShares. The yield will be around 3%, also according to AdvisorShares.

There have been predictions that actively managed ETFs are the next big thing. So far, though, the deepest inroads have been made in actively managed bond funds. Bill Gross’ Pimco Total Return ETF (BOND), just a few months old, is already the biggest actively managed ETF by assets. But the biggest equity ETF by assets isn’t a conventional equity ETF at all — it’s the $325 million AdvisorShares Active Bear ETF (HDGE), a short-selling strategy.

The new ETF has a net expense ratio of 1.40%, according to AdvisorShares’ website. Nor is it the first ETF to buy and sell other ETFs — AdvisorShares already has some of those.

African exchanges embrace ETFs Reply

Destinations, ETF News • Tags: , , , ,

 

Rebecca Hampson 04 Jun 201

Africa is fast becoming a hotspot for the exchange-traded fund market, with South Africa in particular driving growth.The total value of the ETF market on South Africa’s national bourse, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, grew 60% to R4.8bn ($622m) at the end of 2011 compared with the same period a year before.

Meanwhile, the number of ETF products listed on the exchange has also risen sharply, from 31 at the end of 2010 to 46 at the end of 2011, according to data from the JSE.

Such growth has prompted other national bourses on the continent to begin listing the products, or seek regulatory approval to do so, including those in Botswana, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.

Deborah Fuhr, managing partner at ETF consultancy ETFGI, said: “The growth in South Africa is driving the other African markets to enter into the ETF market. There have been more ETFs launched in Africa this year than in all of last year; it is truly booming.”

ETFs allow investors to simplify their investment portfolio strategies by giving them exposure to a specific sector or asset class and, notably, commodities. The African versions of the product appear to have appealed to a wide range of users, including private investors and institutions.

The authorities believe that the drive to promote ETFs and list them on national exchanges is a good way of attracting liquidity to the markets as a whole.

Damilola Ajayi, managing director at asset management house Vetiva Capital, said: “The introduction of ETFs has deepened African markets, especially in South Africa. For other markets, such as Nigeria, the recent introduction of ETFs has served to broaden the asset classes available to investors.”

Vetiva Capital launched its NewGold ETF in Nigeria last December. The product has seen its assets under management, based on investor inflows, grow nearly 45,000% albeit from an extremely low base. More…

Top RIA’s 20 Top Twitter Feeds for Financial Advisers Reply

Destinations, People Profiles, Tech Talk • Tags: , ,

Social Media + Financial Services is (so far) an oxymoron. After all, the odds are 10:1 that you’re compliance officer will call you a moron if you solicit approval to become socially-engaged in any digital venue.

All of that said, the tide always turns, until of course, it comes back to you hit in the back of the head like a boomerang. But..for the time being, if there’s any group that can figure out how to leverage assets, its you, or your peers.

Leading InvestmentNews.com to profile one Josh Brown, aka @thereformedbroker (his twitter handle). Your’s truly is almost afraid to learn why Josh labels himself “reformed”, but he apparently has all of his licenses in order, along with a round lot of 20,000 Twitter followers. Let’s not forget to mention that Josh shows up on CNBC every so often, as well as attributions in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal.

What’s striking about Josh is his humility; he’s published a list of his top 20 favorite financial adviser twits, twitterers.

Intrigued? You should be! More…

Traders & Brokers Best Bets For MarchMadness: Destinations Reply

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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 to read about slam dunk destinations in  Boston, Philly, Chicago, Orlando, Dallas and Raleigh NC. We’ve even spotted a swoosh for expats over in the UK!

Here’s the NYC best shots:

Village Pourhouse (Duke, Kansas, Syracuse): You’re guaranteed not to miss a minute of the game at Village Pourhouse, where there’s a TV everywhere you turn. Along with their huge beer selections, their kitchen is open late night and has a massive menu. They’re happy to host anyone, but definitely stop by if you’re keen on Duke, Kansas or Syracuse, in which case, you’ll be in store for a warm welcome.
64 3rd Ave.; 212-979-2337

Blondie’s (Ohio State): Hungry for famous wings … and a Buckeyes win? Then get on the horn to reserve a space at Blondie’s. The March Madness games fill the bar till it spills onto the street, so be sure to get there a few minutes before your reservation. In fact, you may want to get there extra early to enjoy their two-for-one happy hour, weekdays until 7pm.
212 W. 79th St.; 212-362-4360

Did we forget to add: KEEP READING : More…

ETF Market Mavens March Madness Event-City of Brotherly Love Reply

Destinations, ETF News, People Profiles • Tags: , ,

Expect more than lots of brotherly love networking at the Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton March 19-20, when ETF market mavens gather  to attend the InsideIndexing forum “Risk, Return & Indexing Strategies.”

An early look at the menu indicates a few tasty treats will be served up by a formidable group of moderators and industry panelists who will be peeling back the onion layers  covering fixed income ETFs, how to choose the ETF in every asset class,  and a fav topic “Are arbitrageurs stealing your returns?”

We can’t help but wonder what mutual fund titan and ETF anti-Christ John Bogle will be saying to those that attend, but its always worth the price of entry to hear him opine (the fact that food and a cocktail reception are included in the registration fee makes it a must-attend for those in the tri-state region).

Its great to notice the agenda also includes a Live-Market ETF Trading Session, during which the industry’s top expert brokers will use 40-ft screens to display live market quotes and trading floor video feeds to illustrate how they achieve best execution for their respective clients.

We’re not getting a commish for promoting this event, so feel free to click the program logo below to register :)