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By Russ Koesterich, CFA , iShares Global Chief Investment Strategist With global equities up more than 25% since their bottom last June, many investors are wondering: “Is it too late to move cash from the sidelines? Should I wait for a pullback?” My answer to both questions: no, with a caveat. As I write in my latest Market Perspectives piece, while stock prices aren’t yet in a bubble, some parts of the market do look more expensive than others. That’s why I advocate that investors, especially those just starting to dip their toes in, focus on three areas of the market that look reasonably priced [For more ETF analysis, make sure to sign up for our free ETF newsletter]. Certain International Markets: With investors paying a big premium today for safety, the US market looks somewhat stretched compared to its international peers. As such, I’d be more hesitant to commit a lot of new capital [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:How to Take Advantage of the Great (Sector) RotationCompanies Increase Dividends: ETFs To PlayDaily ETF Roundup: IEO Jumps After Pioneer Natural Resources Earnings, IYW PopsThursday’s ETF Chart To Watch: IYE Nears Resistance Ahead Of XOM Earnings Big Oil, Commodities And Large-Cap Earnings On Tap: IYE, MOO, XLB

Even as U.S. Markets continued to stumble back Thursday morning, still processing the news that Ben Bernanke and the Fed will continue their aggressive buying strategy for now, there was one major force pulling investors back into the green. New home sales from April have improved  for the third month in a row, reaching a three-year high [see S&P 500 Visual History]. U.S. New Home Sales Soar The US Census Bureau report release on May 23rd was the latest sign that the housing market is on its way back up. This jump is larger than most economists suspected, with the general forecast closer to 426,000 in April. This rise has also led to a rise in price; with the median price for new homes in April up 14.9% from last year to $271,600, it seems clear that sellers know demand is coming back strong [see also Companies Increase Dividends: ETFs To Play]: With prices and sales [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:Homebuilder ETFs In Focus After Housing DataDaily ETF Roundup: Buy The Rumor, Sell The TweetDaily ETF Roundup: Stocks Rebound From Worst One-Day Drop In 2013Daily ETF Roundup: Housing Data Brings Back The BullsFiscal Cliff ETF Rally Still Hot

At the beginning of a hectic week in the market, ETF issuers ArrowShares and KraneShares both filed paperwork with the SEC, looking to introduce some new funds into their small portfolios. While ArrowShares is looking to replicate the success of its first fund, through three new active ETFs, KraneShares is bringing its extensive knowledge of Chinese investing to the U.S. marketplace [see ETF Database Launch Center]. ArrowShares is looking to grow its portfolio with new actively managed ETFs, which are detailed in its SEC filing. The Arrow Balanced ETF: As the name describes, this fund will seek a balanced portfolio of both fixed income securities, equities, and alternative assets both domestic and international [also check out the Visual History Of The Dow Jones Industrial Average]. The Arrow Tactical ETF: Much like the Balanced ETF, this new fund will also explore all investment options, but will decide its weightings based on a thorough technical analysis of market activity, trading volume, and historical [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:ArrowShares Files For High Yield Bond ETFNorthern Lights ETF Trust Opens Doors To Industry Three “Dividend ETFs” That Go Beyond StocksMay ETF Roundup: Launches, Filings, and ClosuresETF Insider: Greek Drama Far From Over

U.S. markets opened in red territory Thursday morning as overnight selling pressures from Japan spilled over and prompted a global wave of profit taking. Investors scaled back their risk appetites for a second day in a row as stimulus hopes started to fade following the latest FOMC minutes which revealed that the Fed could be easing up on its bond-repurchases as early as June. Despite the selling pressures, the bulls still managed to return on the home front as major U.S. benchmarks crawled higher during the entire session with the Dow Jones Industrial Average almost posting a gain on the day [see also The Cheapest ETF For Every Investment Objective]. Our ETF to watch for today is the Industrial Select Sector SPDR which could swing in either direction as investors digest the latest durable goods orders data. Analysts are expecting for this figure to post an increase of 1.4%, which would mark a major improvement following [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:ETFdb Weekly Watchlist: XHB, TLT, XLI Hinge On Housing, Durable Goods And Bernanke7 Articles ETF Investors Must Read: 5/9ETF Insider: U.S. Bull Market Hits All-Time HighsIndustrial ETFs Still Lagging After ISM Manufacturing DataWednesday’s ETF Chart To Watch: XLI Gears Up For Rally Ahead Of Manufacturing Data

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It was a volatile session on Wall Street today, fueled by concerns over potential Fed policy changes and disappointing data from China. Overnight, Japan’s Nikkei Stock average plummeted over 7%, sparking a broad global sell off and a brutal open in the U.S.. Stocks did, however, manage to recover some earlier losses after several better-than-expected economic readings were reported; U.S. new-home sales topped analysts forecasts, while the Labor Department reported unemployment benefits falling by 23,000 last week. In a separate report, flash Markit manufacturing PMI also came in stronger than expected in May [see The Cheapest ETF for Every Investment Objective]. Global Market Overview: DXJ Tumbles After Nikkei Freefall, XLU Slumps Following a broad global sell-off, all three major U.S. equity indexes fell to close in negative territory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF slipped 0.06%, after its underlying index fell sharply lower at the open. The S&P 500 ETF lost 0.28%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq ETF fell 0.28%. In Europe, markets were broadly lower [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:Daily ETF Roundup: Stocks Finish Flat, IBB And DXJ PopDaily ETF Roundup: YCS Pops On Weaker Yen, XLU Slides Alongside UtilitiesDaily ETF Roundup: Stocks Rebound On Bank of Japan MoveDaily ETF Roundup: Stocks Close Out Quarter On High NoteDaily ETF Roundup: Stocks Shrugg Off Sequester

It’s been a choppy few sessions on Wall Street so far this week, as investors shifted their attention to the Federal Reserve and commentary on the Central Bank’s massive stimulus measures. Over the last few days, Fed presidents from Chicago, St. Louis and New York have emphasized that the Central Bank’s stimulus measures have been “effective” and indicated that a change in asset purchases could be seen in the near future. Yesterday, however, Ben Bernanke gave an even stronger signal to the markets, stating that the Fed could “take a step down” from the purchases within the time frame of the next few policy-setting meetings if economic data supports the change. The Fed President was still adamant that for now the Central Bank will remain on its current stimulus course  [see The Cheapest ETF for Every Investment Objective]. Below, we outline seven insightful articles circulating around the financial space this week: Not In Kansas Anymore at [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:No Related Posts

Exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) have become a very valuable tool for investors seeking exposure to all corners of the market. While they provide diversified exposure in a single U.S.-traded security, equity options can be used in conjunction with ETFs to create more complex trading strategies designed to achieve specific goals or targeted strategies [see also ETF Call And Put Options Explained]. In this article, we’ll take a look at how bear put spreads can be used to place a controlled bearish bet on an ETF’s direction. What Is a Bear Put Spread Strategy? Suppose that an investor has a bearish outlook on a commodity like gold and wishes to devise a strategy to profit from its decline; however, short-selling the SPDR Gold Trust could be a bit risky given the commodity’s volatile dependence on external events. After all, a single comment out of the U.S. Federal Reserve about further easing could send [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:Wednesday’s ETF Chart To Watch: GLD Rebound Hinges On FOMC Minutes ETF Insider: Asia Pacific Country Fund Looks Ripe For Rebound, Gold Offers A HedgeThursday’s ETF Chart To Watch: GLD Heading To Support Ahead Of U.S. Inflation DataETF Options Strategies: Neutral Calendar Spread Explained7 Articles ETF Investors Must Read: 4/18

The bulls finally eased off the buying trigger as the latest FOMC minutes cast a cloud of worry across Wall Street. Major equity indexes ended yesterday’s trading session with a fairly sharp sell-off into the close, marking the first profit taking wave since the last mini-correction seen in mid-April. Stocks dropped after comments from Chairman Bernanke revealed that the Federal Reserve may be getting closer to slowing down its pace of bond-repurchases [see also The Cheapest ETF For Every Investment Objective]. Our ETF to watch for today is the MSCI United Kingdom Index Fund which could swing in either direction at the opening bell as investors react to the overnight GBP gross domestic product data release. Analysts are expecting for Britain’s economic growth rate to come in unchanged at 0.3% for the quarter. Chart Analysis Consider EWU’s one-year daily performance chart below. This ETF has been trading higher within a crudely defined channel (blue lines) since bottoming out in June of [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:ETFdb Weekly Watchlist: VGK, EWU, VXX Hinge On ECB, Fed, and Bank of England3 ETFs To Watch This Week: GLD, EWU, XRT3 ETFs To Watch This Week: EWJ, XLI, EWUETF Insider: European Tensions On The Horizon European Country ETFs: All Over The Board