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…Read More

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…Read More

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…Read More

Courtesy of InvestmentNews reporter Jason Kephart.   Vanguard Group, one of the world's biggest issuers of ETFs, has announced they're cutting the fees on 6 funds, including the world's 3rd largest ETF by asset size, the $54 billion, EMG flagship "Vanguard MSCI Emerging Markets ETF" (VWO),  to 0.2%, a 9%…Read More

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…Read More

[caption id="attachment_372" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Bloomberg LP's Catherine Cowdery Feb 29 Interview w WallachBeth Capital's Andy McOrmond"][/caption] For those gray-bearded former floor brokers who would gallop into an exchange specialist's trading pit and shout, "I'll buy what's offered on the screen!",  and were often dismayed when the specialist yelled back,  "Go…Read More

In a Nov 15 story from CNN: the prospects for social media ETF “SOCL” were pretty much slammed. “NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — A social media exchange-traded fund has made its debut, but experts say to hold off before you “like” and “+1″ it to share it with all of your…Read More

Unbeknownst to too many who traffic in ETFs, the phrases "thinly-traded" and "illiquid" are far from synonymous. Yes, of the now 1300+ exchange-traded funds, 2/3 of the total ETF trading volume is attributed to the top 25 "go-go names." But, whether you're an RIA, a corporate treasurer, a hedge fund…Read More

ETF Securities (ETFS) has expanded its Brent Crude exchange traded products offering against a background of rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The issuer unveiled four ETPs on the London Stock Exchange, as Brent Crude’s importance as the new global benchmark for oil rises. West Texas Intermediate has been beset with local…Read More

We just scored the most recent trading desk comments courtesy of   WallachBeth Capital's Chris Hempstead. " Last week I took a look at YTD performance of the US Equity based ETF’s with exposure to the S&P sectors. Today I would like to broaden that view and simply rank and…Read More

  Courtesy of IndexUniverse, reporting from Oliver Ludwig: ProShares, the fund company known for its large family of inverse and leveraged ETFs, set a 1-for-6 reverse split on its now-super-popular VIX-related ETF “UVXY” to ensure that bid/ask spreads on the security don’t grow too large as a percentage of its…Read More

Everything went higher today (despite the data during the last minutes into the close); stocks, bonds and fear; a somewhat unique combination of ups. When noticing today's relatively rare direct correlation between equity market volatility (aka VIX), equity indices and "safe haven" US government bonds, option market veteran David Robbins…Read More

The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services ETF (XES) outperformed other ETFs this week, up about 4.4%. Components of that ETF showing particular strength this week include shares of Exterran Holdings (EXH), up about 19% and shares of Nabors Industries Limited (NBR), up about 10.8% on the week.…Read More

Other than the ETF market "go-go names", one of the more commonly-voiced, and according to many, often-misguided observations regarding most ETFs is  "won't trade it, there's no liquidity in that name,"  or "the screens are only showing 1000 shares offered and I have to pay up 50 cents to buy…Read More

Here's a wake-up call to critics of the ETF world: two more unrelated and just-published research studies have acquitted the ETF industry of charges leveled by critics who have claimed ETFs are at the root of heightened market volatility. In a newly-released report from the Investment Company Institute, which interrogated…Read More

In a column filed through SFGate, Bloomberg LP's Joe Ciolli reports, "Junk Bond ETFs are drawing the biggest inflows on record from investors seeking easier access to higher-yielding assets. According to Lipper Analytics, ETFs that track junk-bond indexes have tapped $5.5 billion of investments since the beginning of this year,…Read More

Debbie Fuhr, the undisputed "Dame" of the exchange-traded-funds industry, and most recently BlackRock's Managing Director and global head of ETF research and implementation will open the doors of a new independent research firm, "ETF Global Insight" next Monday. Prior to Debbie's 3-year stint at BlackRock/BGI, she was billeted for 11…Read More

Its countdown time for all of those following PIMCO's entry into the ETF space; on March 1,  the House that Bill Gross Built is scheduled to debut The PIMCO Total Return Exchange-Traded Fund under the ticker TRXT. Those that click on the link to the fund will be able to…Read More