Sector ETFs

File regional banks and the S&P Regional Banks Select Industry Index (SPSIRBKT) under the category of "epic disappointments" for investors this year.  That index is down nearly 14 percent year-to-date, a loss that exceeds that of the broader Financial Select Sector Index by 200...

Real estate investment trusts and the corresponding exchange traded funds are benefiting as investors seek out more defensive sectors, but as the business cycle ages, some analysts see risks ahead for REITs. The iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF (NYSE: IYR), one of the largest real estate ETFs, is...

When taking into account the challenges presented by the Federal Reserve's interest rate tightening cycle, the real estate sector and the related exchange traded funds have been alright in 2018. The Vanguard Real Estate ETF (NYSE: VNQ), the largest ETF dedicated to the sector, is up 1.7 percent...

Typical iterations of China sector exchange traded funds predominantly focused on Internet and technology stocks, but Global X has long offered sector ETFs targeting China's energy, financial services and industrial groups, among others. The New York-based ETF issuer added to its China sector...

Defensive sectors and the related exchange traded funds have recently been strutting their stuff. Over the past six months, the previously downtrodden consumer staples sector is easily outpacing the broader market. During that period, the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLP) is up almost...

Cushing Asset Management, the company behind some of the most widely master limited partnership benchmarks, is entering the exchange traded funds arena with its own MLP-related funds. The company launched the Cushing Sector Plus ETFs, a suite of four products that mix common stocks from various...

The landscape of thematic exchange traded funds, or those funds offering laser focus on specific investment niches and themes, are burgeoning part of the overall ETF universe. These days, investors can tap themes ranging from artificial intelligence to electric vehicles to quantum computing via...

Due in large part to weakness in the FANG stocks, the Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLC) is off to rocky start. XLC debuted in June, ahead of the September launch of the communication services sector. The sector is a refreshed version of the stodgy old telecommunications group....

Leveraged exchange traded funds (ETFs) have some nifty tickers. In the case of one leveraged fund, aggressive traders may want to consider doing the opposite of what the ticker implies. With investors departing traditional regional bank ETFs, the Direxion Daily Regional Banks Bear 3X Shares (NYSE:...

December is one of the best months of the year for U.S. stocks. Keeping with that theme, some corners of the market really enjoy the final month of the year. With the holiday shopping season in full bloom, investors often look at consumer discretionary and retail stocks and exchange traded funds...

December is believed to be a good month for U.S. equities and historical data affirm that belief. Over the past 20 years, the S&P 500 averages a December gain of 1.4 percent, according to EquityClock.com. That ties December with November as the fourth-best month of the year for the S&P...

Direxion, one of the largest issuers of inverse and leveraged exchange traded funds, added to its already substantial lineup of geared sector funds Thursday with the debuts of four ETFs representing the consumer discretionary and staples sectors. All four of the new ETFs are triple-leveraged. What...

Just a few days after Cyber Monday and less than a week after Black Friday, new exchange traded fund focusing on the booming e-commerce theme debuted. Global X, one of the largest purveyors of targeted and thematic ETFs, introduced the Global X E-commerce ETF (NASDAQ: EBIZ) on Thursday. What...

The SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE: GLD) and rival gold-backed exchange traded funds traded modestly higher Wednesday after Federal Reserve Jerome Powell said interest rates are close to “neutral.” Three interest rate hikes this year and the subsequently stronger dollar are among the most...