Specialty ETFs

The universe of fixed income exchange traded funds following socially responsible investing principles gained another member Thursday when BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK) launched an ETF dedicated to green bonds. The iShares Global Green Bond ETF (NASDAQ: BGRN) is the latest bond ETF to tap into...

It's no secret natural gas and the related exchange traded funds are setting a torrid pace. Led by the United States Natural Gas Fund (NYSE: UNG), the de facto ETF choice for exposure to this commodity, three of the seven ETFs that hit 52-week highs Wednesday were natural gas products. On...

Natural gas prices spiked Monday after a new long-term North American weather forecast found much higher heating demand than previously expected. The latest forecast from Bespoke Weather Services suggests above-average gas demand extending from Nov. 9 through Nov. 18. “Our sentiment has...

Leveraged loans, also known as senior loans, are embraced by bond investors as interest rates rise due in large part to the floating component sported by these bonds, which helps mitigate sensitivity to higher interest rates. Exchange traded funds, such as the Invesco Senior Loan ETF (NYSE: BKLN),...

Some fixed income exchange traded funds are languishing amid the Federal Reserve's 2018 rate tightening plans, prompting investors to depart some longer-dated, traditional bond ETFs. “Despite growing demand for bond ETFs in 2018, one of the industry’s oldest and largest products is...

International travel can be expensive, but thanks to exchange traded funds, investing in ex-U.S. markets can be downright cheap. In recent years, data confirm advisors and investors are apt to embrace the least expensive ETFs, namely those with annual fees of 0.20 percent or less. Plenty of...

To date, a massive percentage of the exchange traded funds extolling the virtues of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing have been equity-based funds. BlackRock Inc.'s (NYSE: BLK) iShares unit, the world's largest ETF sponsor, is among the issuers looking to tap into...

On the 10-year anniversary of the 2008 housing market collapse, housing stocks are having their worst year of returns since the mortgage crisis, and investors are taking notice. Benzinga PreMarket Prep co-hosts Joel Elconin and Dennis Dick discussed what’s going on in the housing market on...

Japanese stocks haven't been immune to the downside experienced this year by ex-U.S. developed markets equities. In fact, Japan is one of the worst ex-U.S. developed markets offenders as highlighted by a year-to-date loss of 5.62 percent for the MSCI Japan Index. While Japanese stocks are among...

Emerging markets stocks aren't the only asset class offering exposure to developing economies getting drubbed this year. Bonds are, too. The J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Core Index, a widely followed gauge of dollar-denominated emerging markets debt, is lower by nearly 6 percent year-to-date. Some...

While gold and the related exchange traded funds are struggling this year, some investors remain fond of the yellow metal and some ETF issuers are rewarding that faith with lower expenses. Upstart ETF issuer GraniteShares announced a new, reduced annual expense ratio for the GraniteShares Gold...

U.S. stocks are off to another volatile day of trading Wednesday, with the Dow giving up 400 points on the day. While the trading action has most investors taking huge losses, the VIX volatility index and its derivatives have produced major gains in the past week. What Happened In the past week,...