ETF Showdown

Much has been made of low volatility sectors leading U.S. equities to new all-time highs. Sectors such as consumer staples and utilities are driving the broader market higher. Health care is certainly in the conversation as well, and it is not just biotech names that are leading this sector's...

Due to the tumbling yen, which has lead to noticeable strength in Japanese stocks over the past several months, investors are once again turning their attention to Japan ETFs. While there are multiple ETF avenues for gaining exposure to the world's third-largest economy, some funds such as the...

It is not hyperbole to say that a large percentage of investors that have invested in a utilities ETF have either done so with U.S.-focused products such as the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLU) or the Vanguard Utilities ETF (NYSE: VPU). That has not been a bad idea. Over the past three...

Switzerland is known for a few things. The affluent praise Switzerland for its high-end watches and formerly favorable and top-secret banking structure. On the world political stage, Switzerland is most known for its neutrality in major global affairs. Investors have embraced Switzerland because...

The materials sector accounts for just 3.5 percent of the S&P 500's weight, making it the third-smallest sector in the broader market index ahead of only utilities and telecommunications. Even with that factoid, there are plenty of materials ETFs for investors to choose from. Including the...

Markets surged on Thursday after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said the ECB could buy an unlimited amount of European bonds to help the continent eradicate its sovereign debt crisis. The news had a palpable impact on major European ETFs. The Vanguard MSCI Europe ETF (NYSE: VGK)...

Statistically speaking, most multi-country emerging markets ETFs are sporting decent year-to-date returns. Likewise, many of the major ETFs tracking bank stocks can boast solid returns despite the usual amount of controversy that seems to always follow this sector. It might be logical to assume...

The evolution of the exchange-traded products industry has clearly helped investors gain exposure to myriad asset classes and investment themes ranging from the mundane to the obscure. That's particularly true among bond funds, which now go well beyond boring Treasury products to include ETFs that...

It's widely known that energy stocks aren't the place to be these. Even the blue chips are getting hammered, a fact highlighted by a decline of almost 6% in the past month for the Energy Select SPDR (NYSE: XLE). Makes sense. West Texas Intermediate oil futures are down about 15% since the start...

Despite a sluggish March, the pace of new ETF introductions remains fairly brisk in 2012 and it's BlackRock's (NYSE: BLK) iShares unit leading the charge. The world's largest ETF sponsor has rolled out roughly 40 new funds this year and plenty of bond funds have been included in that group. Even...