Specialty ETFs

U.S. small-caps and the related exchange traded funds continue lagging their large-cap counterparts and some traders are growing concerned the condition is set to worsen for smaller stocks. Year-to-date, the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE: IWM), the largest small-cap ETF, is up just 2.7 percent...

Investors frustrated with the laggard performances turned in by U.S. small-caps and the related exchange-traded funds this year have been able to that frustration into profits with international small-cap ETFs. That has not meant taking on excessive risk, either. The iShares MSCI EAFE Small-Cap ETF...

One of the primary selling points with exchange-traded funds has been and continues to be low fees. In many cases, index funds and ETFs offer expense ratios that are well below those offered by competing actively managed mutual funds, a trait that matters, particularly to long-term investors....

Though it is still in the doldrums relative to other currency exchange-traded funds, the PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (NYSE: UUP) has perked up in recent sessions. The dollar's awakening, albeit modest, is pressuring commodities and the related ETFs, including silver funds. The...

What do four of the five hottest exchange traded funds of 2017 have in common? They all have exposure to Asian assets. Among every ETF with at least a $2 billion market cap, the best performer is iShares MSCI China Index Fund (NASDAQ: MCHI), which is up 34 percent this year. For many years, the U.S...

The technology sector, the largest sector allocation and best-petforming group in the S&P 500, remains beloved by investors this year. Exchange traded funds (ETFs) dedicated to technology have been luring investors thanks to seemingly relentless surges in share prices of technology titans, such...

Oil gets most of the attention, but among energy commodities this year, natural gas not been worth writing home about either. Actually, the performances delivered by some natural gas-related exchange traded products (ETPs) have been downright abysmal.   For example, the largest futures-based...

Many U.S. investors know about companies with deep competitive advantages, also known as wide-moat firms. In fact, wide-moat investing is a core tenet of Warren Buffett's investment philosophy. That is to say, investing in companies with entrenched competitive advantages can receive no better...

Between a U.S. president who has a reputation for unpredictability, geopolitical uncertainty in North Korea, Russia and elsewhere and a stock market that is within a stone’s throw of all-time highs, it’s understandable for traders to be a bit leery at the moment. Headlines of political...

As has been widely documented, exchange-traded funds are on a torrid pace of asset gathering this year. Through the first seven months of 2017, U.S.-listed ETFs added $191 billion in new assets, easily positioning the asset class to topple the inflows record set in 2016. And as has been previously...

Experienced dividend investors know not to confine their search for consistent, growing payouts to U.S. stocks. After all, about half of the world's dividend-paying stocks are tied to companies based outside the U.S. Fortunately, many of the premier sources of ex-US dividend growth and yield...

The value factor has not been too bad this year, but the problem for value stocks is that they are lagging the broader market as well as their growth and momentum rivals. For example, the iShares Edge MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (BATS: VLUE) is up less than 9 percent year to date while the S&P...

With so many investors applying environmental, social and governance principles to equity investments, it was only a matter of time before the bond universe got in on the act. A new fixed income exchange-traded fund, the VanEck Vectors Green Bond ETF (NYSE: GRNB), allows bond investors to emphasize...

Donald Trump is certainly one of the most controversial and polarizing figures to occupy the White House in the modern era of U.S. politics.    And while it can be said some “Trump trades” have lost momentum since the election, others are as hot as ever. Either that, or it is...

The Energy Select Sector Index, one of the most widely followed gauges of U.S. energy equities, has been a laggard for much of this year, but finished July in strong fashion with a gain of nearly 3.1 percent. Even with that solid showing by the Energy Select Sector Index, some data points indicate...