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

Vanguard Cuts Expense Fee on 6 Big ETFs-Cheap access…
In ETF News> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
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% reduction. Not to let a […] Read More

1 March, 2012

ETF Market Mavens March Madness Event-City of Brotherly Love
In ETF News, Global Macro Strategy, People Profiles> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
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 […] Read More

1 March, 2012

Bloomberg LP Touches ETF Hot Button: Where’s the Beef…
In ETF News, People Profiles, Tech Talk> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
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 ahead, trade with the screen..but I don’t have that offer anymore!”– you won’t be surprised to know that today’s “screen-based markets”, […] Read More

1 March, 2012

Social Media ETF: Is this a tipping point
In ETF News, People Profiles, Tech Talk> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
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 friends. While the Global X […] Read More

29 February, 2012

ETF Transparency: Thinly-Traded Does Not Mean Illiquid-Says Leading ETF…
In ETF News, People Profiles, Tech Talk> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
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 manager, or a pension fund […] Read More

29 February, 2012

Four New Brent Crude ETPs
In ETF News, People Profiles> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
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 logistical issues that have seen […] Read More

29 February, 2012

Despite Rally, US Market Lags List of 35 Best…
In ETF News> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
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 look at the YTD top […] Read More

28 February, 2012

“Its Time To Hedge, Really!” Say Top Traders
In Strike Price> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
Aside from all of the Squawk Box and Fast Money “professional traders” and “market experts” who have been on “high alert” [waiting for a correction] for the past several weeks, even the most blindsided bulls have to acknowledge that every nice move is followed by a pull  back. When considering the past 3 months gains’ […] Read More

28 February, 2012

ProShares To Reverse-Split VIX ETF UVXY
In ETF News> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
  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 declining share price. The fund, […] Read More

28 February, 2012

VIX Higher, SPX Higher; 30 Yr T touching 3…
In ETF News, People Profiles, Strike Price> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
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 of WallachBeth Capital says,  “The […] Read More

27 February, 2012

BuyWriting Back in Vogue: Mutual Funds Warm To “CYA”
In People Profiles, Strike Price> By MarketsMuse Staff Reporter
We all know that equity markets have been climbing the wall of worry for the past number of months. With both the Dow and S&P recovering to the sanguine levels not seen since the spring of 2008, covered call (buy-write) strategies within the mutual fund complex has until recently remained  a relatively untapped strategy, despite […] Read More

27 February, 2012