Stocks wrapped up a good May quietly, as trading volume was very light in this holiday-shortened week. When the final closing bell rang out Friday, the Dow has logged a 0.67% weekly gain while the S&P 500 ended the week higher by 1.21%. The biggest winner out of the major indices was the NASDAQ Composite, […]

The question of whether to invest in China is one that engenders many polarizing opinions. For every bull out there arguing in favor of a rebound in the Chinese economy and stock market, there are an equal (perhaps greater) number of bears proclaiming that China’s economic data cannot be trusted and that the country is

“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” –Maya Angelou The American poet and writer served up some great slices of wisdom during her life, but the wisdom in the above quote is one of her best. It reminds us that no matter how tough the struggle, we win if we remain

Small exchange-traded fund (ETF) providers can sometimes craft interesting alternative strategies for investors. ETFs typically are market-capitalization weighted proxies for a sector or a country, but small providers ArrowShares, ELEMENTS and RevenueShares offer innovative ways to invest. ArrowShares has the Arrow Dow Jones Global Yield ETF (GYLD), which offers a composite index of five sector-specific

The question of whether to invest in China is one that engenders many polarizing opinions. For every bull out there arguing in favor of a rebound in the Chinese economy and stock market, there are an equal (perhaps greater) number of bears proclaiming that China’s economic data cannot be trusted and that the country is

For the week, equity markets around the world enjoyed advances. Japan was up over 2%, China added to last week’s gains and was up up over 1%, emerging markets finished slightly higher, and the S&P 500 jumped 1.21%. Bond prices and precious metals both finished the week slightly down. Stocks continue a slow and steady advance with […]

I want to take a little trip around the world this week by looking at a few key charts of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) pegged to various regions of the globe. Let’s start with the action in Europe via the iShares Europe 350 (IEV). For most of the past year, stocks in Europe have trended steadily

“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” –Mark Twain Unquestionably one of America’s most brilliant writers, Mark Twain also had some keen insights into the nature of government. Here he puts the issue of patriotism, country and government in wise perspective. I think we all should remember

The investment category of commodities covers a wide range of products, ranging from earth-based fuels (oil and gas) to precious metals (silver, gold) to agricultural produce (corn, soybeans). Just as there are many varieties of products classed as commodities, many exchange-traded fund (ETF) providers mine this space to offer potentially profitable funds. Among these are