Advanced Investing

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

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Markets took their cue from Ben Bernanke today, as the chairman commented on the Fed’s monetary policy before the Senate’s Joint Economic Committee in Washington. Though Bernanke stated that the central bank will continue its current stimulus measures, he indicated that changes may be made, but when they will happen, he simply “does not know”.  The latest FOMC minutes reported today also reflected this sentiment, stating that a number of participants this month favored tapering the central bank’s $85 billion a month bond-buying program as early as the June meetings. Bernanke and the FOMC did, however, stress that no changes would be made without sufficient evidence of strong and sustained economic growth [see The Cheapest ETF for Every Investment Objective]. Global Market Overview: TLT Tumbles On Fed Tapering Fears, XLB Slumps Following Bernanke’s testimony and the release of the latest FOMC minutes, all three major U.S. equity indexes fell to close [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:Daily ETF Roundup: Stocks Close Higher As Earnings Season Kicks OffDaily ETF Roundup: Healthcare Shares Boost IHI And XLVDaily ETF Roundup: DBP Pops On Fed Speculations, XLE RalliesDaily ETF Roundup: YCS Pops On Strong Dollar, XLE RalliesDaily ETF Roundup: IGN Pops After Cisco Earnings, XLV Slumps

A lesson from Warren Buffett: doubt yourself [WSJ] Jelisavcic: This is an optimal time to invest in distressed debt [FINalternatives] Are corporate profit margins abnormally elevated or sustainable? [Greenbackd] Don't just do something, sit there [The Economist] Steve Romick: trade into the gold you can eat, farmland [Forbes] Why investors can't imagine a collapse of the bond market [WSJ] Telecom's big players hold back the future [NYTimes] Investor sentiment: fear and greed index [CNNMoney] Hedge fund leverage approaches all-time high [ai-CIO] National Bank (NBHC) on the prowl [Barrons] Why Alibaba could be China's next big IPO [Reuters] Anatomy of the 10-K [Wall Street Oasis] How the SEC's marketing rules shortchange investors [ii alpha] Is the asset management business set for consolidation? [Citywire] Warren Buffett is bullish on women [CNN Money] If MBAs are useless, we're all in big trouble [Quartz] Ron Johnson's 5 key mistakes at J.C. Penney [Fast Company]

After 10 years of business, Tesla is finally starting to gain traction in the U.S. market and will be posting profits for the first time since going public. There have been strong words on both sides about Tesla’s second production vehicle, but after the Model S won Motor Trend Car of the Year earlier this spring Tesla stock has experienced a meteoric rise in price. Elon Musk’s car company has pushed back against allegations that their Model S is just another electric pipe dream to prove that you don’t need gas to make a car people want to drive, and yet many auto-focused ETFs are missing out on these strong returns [see also How To Take Profits And Cut Losses When Trading ETFs]. Even as Tesla continues to rake in the cash, it remains absent from the portfolios of auto ETFs and broader consumer discretionary funds. One of the most popular and focused funds, the First Trust NASDAQ [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:Earth Day Special: Definitive Guide To Clean Energy ETFs5 Best (And 5 Worst) ETF Performers Over The Last 5 Years5 Worst ETF Strategies Of The Last 5 YearsThree Possible ETF Winners From A Shift In Hybrid Tax CreditsSolar ETFs Off To A Not-So-Bright Start

Andreas Halvorsen's hedge fund firm Viking Global Investors has filed a 13G with the SEC regarding shares of Intuitive Surgical (ISRG). Per the filing, Viking has disclosed a 5.1% ownership stake in ISRG with 2,029,353 shares. This marks around a 10% increase in the amount of shares they own since the end of the first quarter in March. This filing was required due to portfolio activity on May 10th. Viking over doubled its stake in ISRG during the first quarter and it's now one of their largest holdings. Shares have fallen from $580 down to as low as $455 and currently trade around $485. As such, ISRG shares are likely trading at or even below levels where the hedge fund was buying. To see what other US stocks Viking Global has invested in, check out the brand new issue of our Hedge Fund Wisdom newsletter that was just released yesterday. Per Google Finance, Intuitive Surgical is "designs, manufactures and markets da Vinci Surgical Systems and related instruments and accessories. A da Vinci Surgical System consists of a surgeon’s console, a patient-side cart and a high performance vision system. The da Vinci Surgical System translates a surgeon’s natural hand movements, which are performed on instrument controls at a console, into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small incisions, or ports. The da Vinci Surgical System is designed to provide its operating surgeon with intuitive control, range of motion, fine tissue manipulation capability and three dimensional (3-D), high-definition (HD) vision while simultaneously allowing the surgeon to work through the small ports of MIS." For more resources on this fund, we've also posted up a rare interview with Andreas Halvorsen.

Chase Coleman's hedge fund firm Tiger Global filed a 13G with the SEC regarding their position in Carter's (CRI). Per the filing, Tiger Global has revealed a 6.75% ownership stake in CRI with 4 million shares. This marks a 36% increase in the amount of shares they own since the end of the first quarter. This latest disclosure comes due to portfolio activity on May 9th. To see the rest of Tiger Global's recent portfolio, check out the brand new issue of our premium newsletter that just came out yesterday. Per Google Finance, Carter's is "a branded marketer of apparel for babies and young children in the United States. The Company owns two brand names in the children’s apparel industry, Carter’s and OshKosh. Its Carter’s brand provides apparel for children sizes ranging from newborn to seven. OshKosh brand provides its line of apparel for children sizes newborn to 12. Its Carter’s, OshKosh, and related brands are sold to national department stores, chain and specialty stores and discount retailers."