WisdomTree EnhancedContinuous Commodity Index Fund (ARCA: GCC)

WisdomTree EnhancedContinuous Commodity Index Fund (ARCA:GCC), Quote.Headers.trade-ideas

The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (ETF) that intends to provide broad-based exposure to the following four commodity sectors: Energy, Agriculture, Industrial Metals, and Precious Metals primarily through investments in futures contracts. Within these four sectors, the Fund intends to invest in the following commodities as Brent Crude Oil, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude Oil, Natural Gas, RBOB Gasoline, Low Sulfur Gas Oil, ULS Diesel, Live Cattle, Feeder Cattle, Lean Hogs, Soybeans, Soybean Oil, Soybean Meal, Wheat, Kansas Wheat (Hard Red Wheat), Sugar, Corn, Coffee, Cocoa, Cotton, Copper, Tin, Aluminum, Zinc, Nickel, Lead, Gold, Platinum, and Silver. Weighting among the commodities focuses on liquidity (i.e., commodities with more liquid futures contracts will generally have a higher weighting) combined with qualitative considerations and applicable market views derived from WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (WisdomTree Asset Management or the Adviser) in seeking broad-based exposure among the Energy, Agriculture, Industrial Metals and Precious Metals sectors. Exposure to any particular commodity, as well as potentially additional commodities, are generally determined annually but will vary over time based on the foregoing considerations. The Fund will not invest directly in physical commodities.

Wisdomtree Floating Rate Treasury Fund

WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Strategy Fund

Specialty ETFs

ETFs

We all know politicians lie. Like death and taxes, it’s a given.

But the current narrative that inflation isn’t a serious issue and is merely transitory borders on absurdity.

An ETF For Inflation

Long Ideas

Commodities

Markets

Trading Ideas

Positioning For A Commodities Rebound With An ETF

News

Sector ETFs

Broad U.S. Equity ETFs

BOTZ

HYLB

MLPX

SCHW

WETF

GLDW

Schwab Expands Commission-Free Platform

WisdomTree EnhancedContinuous Commodity Index Fund

Global Cryptocurrency

Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd

GOLDEN CARIBOO RES LTD by Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd.

GARDEN CITY CO COLO by Garden City Company (The)

Garden City Co

Gram Car Carriers ASA Ordinary Shares

We all know politicians lie. Like death and taxes, it&rsquo;s a given.
But the current narrative that inflation isn&rsquo;t a serious issue and is merely transitory borders on absurdity.
The most widely followed measure of inflation on Wall Street is the CRB index. It tracks a basket of various commodities. It consists of energy, agricultural, industrial and precious metals.
And as you can see on the following chart, this index has more than doubled in price since last May. This is more than transitory. It is significant and is proof that inflation is already a serious issue.
<img alt="crb.png" src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/u344550/crb.png" style="height:400px; width:640px" />
Investors who are concerned about inflation should consider the WisdomTree Continuous Commodity Index Fund ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>). This ETF is designed to track the CRB Index. If the Index continues to trend higher, so will GCC.
<img alt="gcc.png" src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/u344550/gcc.png" style="height:400px; width:640px" />

Broadly speaking, commodities languished in February. A surprising spike in volatility sparked a rally in the U.S. dollar, which weighted on dollar-denominated commodities.
That does not mean the case for commodities has evaporated &mdash; not with the asset class trading below all-time highs while stocks remain within striking distance of new records. An exchange traded fund to consider is the WisdomTree Continuous Commodity Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>), which has already reclaimed all of its February losses and then some.
GCC uses futures contracts to track the Thomson Reuters Equal Weight Continuous Commodity Total Return Index. GCC is up nearly 3 percent year-to-date and resides just pennies below its 52-week high.
<h3>
	Ready For A Resurgence</h3>
While equities and bonds have been soaring for multiple years now, commodities have been trailing.
From the end of 2012 through the end of 2017, &ldquo;U.S. equities have moved inexorably upward, exhibiting, at least until February 2018, historically low <a href="https://www.wisdomtree.com/blog/glossary#Volatility">volatility</a>. 15.90-percent average annual returns for about five years is a strong result,&rdquo; said <a href="https://www.wisdomtree.com/blog/2018-03-05/will-you-miss-the-commodity-comeback">WisdomTree</a>. &ldquo;Broad commodities, on the other hand, lost almost one-third of their value on a cumulative basis, or equivalently [a loss of] 6.5 percent per year.&rdquo;
Diversified commodities exposure can benefit investors because isolating single commodities, while potentially rewarding, can mean taking on more risk and experiencing added volatility. For example, not many ordinary investors would have identified cotton and wheat as two of February&#39;s best-performing commodities at the start of the month, but GCC allocates 47 percent of its combined weight to grains and softs.
<h3>
	An Added Perk</h3>
Commodities often perform well as inflation moves higher and Treasury yields rise, but GCC has an added perk that levers it to the theme of rising interest rates.
&ldquo;In commodity strategies that utilize <a href="https://www.wisdomtree.com/blog/glossary#Futures/Futures%20Contract">futures contracts</a> to generate their commodity exposure, one component of their returns comes from the exposure of the collateral for those contracts, typically short-term Treasuries,&rdquo; said WisdomTree. &ldquo;The U.S. <a href="https://www.wisdomtree.com/blog/glossary#Federal%20Reserve">Federal Reserve </a>has embarked on a path of raising its policy rate, thereby raising collateral returns for commodity strategies from near-zero levels.&rdquo;
Related Links:
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/18/03/11308322/vanguard-shifts-indexes-on-3-etfs-ahead-of-sector-changes">Vanguard Tinkering With Sector ETFs</a>
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/18/03/11308344/powell-prompted-inflows-to-financial-services-etfs">Flows To Bank ETFs Pickup</a>

A Bold Commodities Call

When it comes to commodities, plenty of investors are familiar with gold and oil, but there are times when other, less heralded commodities outperform bullion and crude. Of course, knowing when a particular commodity will fall out of favor and when it will be a leader is difficult.

	So there are advantages to a diversified commodities exchange traded fund, such as the WisdomTree Continuous Commodity Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>), which tracks the Thomson Reuters Equal Weight Continuous Commodity Total Return Index. An ETF like GCC can be particularly useful during periods of commodities volatility or when the asset class swings between various extremes as it did last month.

	&ldquo;While the overall month was positive, the index was filled with extremes. Lean hogs and feeder cattle are having their 2nd worst months in history, the worst since Dec. 2003 and Aug. 2002, respectively. &nbsp;This drove livestock to return its 7th worst month ever since Dec. 2003 when it lost 15.8%. &nbsp;On the other hand, sugar and lead each posted 11.3% gains this month,&rdquo; said S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices <a href="http://www.indexologyblog.com/2016/10/03/commodities-post-best-september-in-six-years/">in a recent note</a>.&nbsp;

	GCC offers investors exposure to seven sub-sets of the commodities space: energy, grains, industrial metals, livestock, natural gas, precious metals and softs. Within the ETF, investors will find familiar fare such as gold, oil and silver along with more obscure commodities, such as cocoa, coffee and a sugar.

	&ldquo;Commodities are on pace to have several big winners and losers this year. &nbsp;Thus far gold and zinc are set to have their 3rd best years in history while feeder cattle is set to post its worst year. &nbsp;Below is a table of commodities that are closest to be on pace for record setting years. Although natural gas is having one of its best years, it is still negative &ndash; it has only ever been positive six times through the year at this point,&rdquo; adds S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices.

	Another advantage is that it equal weights its lineup, which limits the contributions, negative and positive, an individual commodity makes toward the ETF&#39;s performance. Additionally, the ETF&#39;s rebalancing frequency ensures commodities that are seeing increases in volatility are limited or pulled from GCC&#39;s lineup.

A Compelling Idea Among Commodities

More than a few asset classes turned in impressive performances in March. Particularly boffo were commodities and some of the corresponding exchange-traded products. While the likes of the SPDR Gold Trust (ETF) (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gld#NYSE">GLD</a>) and the United States Oil Fund LP (ETF) (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/uso#NYSE">USO</a>) often garner the bulk of the attention among commodities ETFs, more diversified options were solid last month as well.
For example, the PowerShares DB Com Indx Trckng Fund(ETF) (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dbc#NYSE">DBC</a>) gained more than 4 percent last month. That futures-based ETFs follows the DBIQ Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Index, granting investors exposure to an array of commodities from gold and silver to corn and oil.
<h3>'The Die Is Cast'</h3>
&ldquo;All 14 commodities in the Agriculture (8) and Energy (6) sectors in the S&amp;P GSCI TR gained in March. This has not happened since July 2012. In fact, all commodities inside the agriculture sector have never been positive together in any historical March,&rdquo; said S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices Global Head of Commodities and Real Assets Jodie Gunzberg <a href="http://www.indexologyblog.com/2016/03/31/best-march-for-commodities-in-10-years/">in a recent note</a>.
<bzrelatedlink>Related Link: <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/16/03/7771626/liquidation-event-could-push-commodities-down-25-barclay">Liquidation Event Could Push Commodities Down 25%, Barclays Warns</a></bzrelatedlink>
DBC devotes over 20 percent of its weight to Brent and West Texas Intermediate oil futures and almost 10 percent to gold. Soaring silver commands 2.3 percent of the ETF&#39;s weight.
<h3>'Experience Is The Teacher Of All Things'</h3>
&ldquo;In the first half of March, the <a href="http://us.spindices.com/indices/commodities/sp-gsci">S&amp;P GSCI Total Return</a> had added 9.6 percent and staged its <a href="http://www.indexologyblog.com/2016/03/18/biggest-commodity-comeback-ever/">biggest comeback ever</a>, gaining 18.8 percent from its bottom on Jan. 20, 2016. Unfortunately, the index gave up 4.3 percent since March 17, 2016, losing about half its March gain. Despite the loss, the index posted its first positive monthly gain of 4.9 percent (data ending Mar. 30, 2016) since Oct. 2015. March&rsquo;s commodity return is historically big and is the biggest March since March 2006, when the index gained 5.1 percent,&rdquo; added Gunzberg.
The GREENHAVEN Continuous Commodity Indx Fnd (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>) also added more than 4 percent last month. GCC tracks the Thomson Reuters Equal Weight Continuous Commodity Total Return Index, providing exposure to agriculture, energy, industrial and precious metals commodities.
Though energy and precious metals commodities combine for over 29 percent of GCC&#39;s weight, investors can use the ETF to bet on an ongoing farm rebound as agriculture commodities (grains and livestock) are over 35 percent of the fund&#39;s weight.
Image Credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/julius-caesar-tuileries-492482/">Public Domain</a>

Futures

PowerShares DBmmodity Index Optimum Yield Diversified Fund

No Ides Of March For Commodities ETFs

Conventional wisdom dictates that as the U.S. dollar rises, commodities do the opposite. Over the past year, conventional wisdom has held true; the PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/uup#NYSE">UUP</a>) has climbed 10.7 percent, while the GREENHAVEN Continuous Commodity Indx Fnd (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>) has plunged 23.7 percent.
<h3>Commodities And The Greenback</h3>
However, there are some data points that suggest some commodities experience periods of strength even as the greenback experiences the same. Sugar is a prime example. In the world of exchange-traded products, the Teucrium Sugar Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/cane#NYSE">CANE</a>) and the iPath Bloomberg Sugar Subindex Total Return Sm Index (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sgg#NYSE">SGG</a>) are higher by 6.8 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively, over the past month.
<bzrelatedlink>Related Link: <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/15/11/5998900/street-faces-volatile-day-as-traders-assess-global-tensions-commodities-">Street Faces Volatile Day As Traders Assess Global Tensions, Commodities Tumble</a></bzrelatedlink>
UUP, the aforementioned dollar ETF, is up 2.7 percent <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/15/11/5996196/the-long-dollar-trade-is-getting-really-crowded">over the same period</a>.
&ldquo;However, there are <a href="http://www.indexologyblog.com/2015/01/06/a-strong-u-s-dollar-isnt-bad-for-all-commodities/">other commodities that just aren&rsquo;t so badly impacted</a>. Feeder cattle and sugar have <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/u/up-market-capture-ratio.asp">up market capture ratios</a> of 130 and 125, using the dollar as the market, that says those commodities outperformed the dollar by 30 percent and 25 percent, respectively, in the past 10 years.
&ldquo;Further, <a href="http://www.indexologyblog.com/2015/11/08/fallen-gold-may-help-indias-diwali-and-monetisation-plan-shine/">gold</a>, live cattle, zinc, lean hogs and coffee have all posted positive returns on average when the dollar was up,&rdquo; said S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices Global Head of Commodities Jodie Gunzberg <a href="http://www.indexologyblog.com/2015/11/23/dollars-revival-adds-new-life-to-these-commodities/">in a recent note</a>.
To this point, gold, as measured by the SPDR Gold Trust (ETF) (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gld#NYSE">GLD</a>) has not enjoyed dollar strength. GLD, the world&#39;s largest exchange-traded fund backed by physical holdings of gold, is down more than 11 percent over the past year and more than 8 percent in just the past month. Although the iPath Bloomberg Coffee Subindex Total Return SM Index (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/jo#NYSE">JO</a>) has been bludgeoned over the past year, the coffee ETN has traded modestly higher over the past month.
The iPath Bloomberg Livestock Total Return Sub-Index ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/cow#NYSE">COW</a>), which features exposure to live cattle and lean hogs futures, has also been punished over the past 12 months. However, COW has strengthened in recent weeks.
<h3>Strong Dollar, Weak Dollar</h3>
&ldquo;While the strong U.S. dollar is bad for commodities overall, it hurts far less than how much a weak dollar helps commodities. In the past 10 years on average, the U.S. dollar was pretty symmetrical with 58 periods of a rising dollar and 62 periods of a falling dollar, and in terms of the magnitude of gains and losses on average of -6.14 percent and +6.18 percent.
&ldquo;When the dollar was up, brent crude lost 3.67 percent and (WTI) crude oil lost 4.00 percent with the worst average loss in nickel of -12.02 percent, far more than the single commodity average loss of -1.97 percent. However, when the dollar lost, not one single commodity fell on average and the single commodity gained 24.64 percent on average,&rdquo; added Gunzberg.
S&amp;P data indicate nickel is the worst-performing commodity in strong dollar environments. The iPath Bloomberg Nickel Subindex Total Return ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/jjn#NYSE">JJN</a>) confirms as much with a one-year loss of 55.1 percent.
Image Credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/news-stock-newspaper-glasses-761409/">Public Domain</a>

Short Ideas

Intraday Update

CANE

iPath Dow Jones UBS Nickel Subindex Total Return ETN

iPath DJ-UBSffee Subindex Total Return ETN

iPath DJ-UBS Sugar Subindex Total Return ETN

PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund

Some Commodities Show Strength As Dollar Surges

WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/wetf#NASDAQ">WETF</a>), the fifth-largest U.S. issuer of exchange-traded funds, entered the commodities corner of the ETF business for the first time Friday, announcing the acquisition of closely held GreenHaven Commodity Services, LLC for $11.75 million in cash.
With the acquisition of GreenHaven Commodity Services, New York-based WisdomTree gains two commodities ETFs &ndash; the GREENHAVEN Continuous Commodity Indx Fnd (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>) and the GreenHaven Coal Fund ETV (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/tons#NYSE">TONS</a>).
&ldquo;GCC has $247 million in assets under management and TONS has $1 million in assets under management, as of October 28, 2015. The financial impact of the transaction is not material to WisdomTree earnings per share,&rdquo; <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/wisdomtree-enter-commodity-etf-space-100000648.html.">according to a statement</a>.
<h3>The WisdomTree Advantage</h3>
Investors and ETF market observers have, broadly speaking, typically associated WisdomTree with being one of the dominant players in several of the ETF industry&#39;s fastest-growing segments, including currency hedged ETFs and strategic beta funds. For example, the WisdomTree Inter Hedged Eq Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/hedj#NYSE">HEDJ</a>) is this year&#39;s top asset-gathering ETF.
 Additionally, WisdomTree offers an expansive lineup of <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/15/10/5951737/quality-and-value-meet-in-this-dividend-etf">seasoned, well-heeled dividend ETFs</a>, including the WisdomTree LargeCap Dividend Fund (ETF) (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dln#NYSE">DLN</a>) and the WisdomTree High Dividend Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dhs#NYSE">DHS</a>).
<bzrelatedlink>Related Link: <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/15/10/5951737/quality-and-value-meet-in-this-dividend-etf">Quality And Value Meet In This Dividend ETF</a></bzrelatedlink>
	&ldquo;WisdomTree&rsquo;s planned acquisition of these unique commodity funds emphasizes our continued commitment to providing differentiated solutions in response to developments in the market and investor preferences,&rdquo; said WisdomTree CEO and President Jonathan Steinberg in the statement.
Although WisdomTree has previously been rumored to be a potential takeover target, the company has proven to be more buyer than seller, particularly in recent years. Last year, the company acquired Boost, a boutique provider of inverse and leveraged ETFs.
As of October 28, WisdomTree had over $57.4 billion in ETF assets under management, putting it well ahead of sixth-place First Trust, which had $41.3 billion in assets.
Image Credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/environmental-protection-886673/">Public Domain</a>

HEDJ

TONS

WisdomTree Enters Commodities ETF Arena

One of the summer's most compelling story lines has been the jaw-dropping surge in corn futures. The worst Midwest drought since 1988 has dampened hopes for what was previously expected to be one of the largest U.S. corn crops on record. Last week, the USDA said nearly a third of the U.S. corn crop is in poor or extremely poor shape.

The prime beneficiary of this scenario has been the Teucrium Corn Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/corn#NYSE">CORN</a>). CORN tracks a basket of the the second-to-expire CBOT corn futures contract, the third-to-expire CBOT corn futures contract and the December contract. 

Traders that were fortunate enough to buy CORN a month ago may not care what contracts the fund offers exposure. A 39.3 percent gain in the span of a month is what folks really care about when it comes to CORN. 

Of course, that move has prompted traders to inquire about other avenues for playing corn's rally beyond CORN. Here are a few good ideas.

PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dba#NYSE">DBA</a>)
The PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund operates in an interesting fashion that often goes overlooked. Over the course of a year, "the weightings of each commodity component in the Index will naturally change based on changes in the underlying futures prices," according to PowerShares. 

Translation: December corn futures now represent 15.6 percent of DBA's index. That has been enough to help DBA jump more than 13 percent in the past month. Impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the returns offered by the...

PowerShares DB Agriculture Double Long ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dag#NYSE">DAG</a>)
The PowerShares DB Agriculture Double Long ETN is akin to a leveraged version of DBA in the body of an ETN. Arguably, that makes for a complex (and risky) product, but there are two things about DAG that are quite easy to understand. First, the ETN's index now has an allocation of almost 28 percent to December corn futures. Second, DAG has surged nearly 56 percent in the past month, leaving even CORN in its dust.

iPath Dow Jones-UBS Grains Subindex Total Return ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/jjg#NYSE">JJG</a>)
In a world of opaque, convoluted ETNs, many of which go days without trading, the Dow Jones-UBS Grains Subindex Total Return ETN is a breath of fresh of air. Average daily volume of over 68,000 shares per day is decent for this type of exchange-traded product, but beyond that, JJG is easy to understand. 

The ETN tracks an index that "is currently composed of three futures contracts on grains traded on U.S. exchanges," according to the iPath web site. Fortunately, that means an allocation of almost 31 percent to corn contracts as of May 31. That has been enough to send JJG higher by 35.2 percent in the past month.

GreenHaven Continuous Commodity Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>)
The GreenHaven Continuous Commodity Index Fund is useful for investors that are looking for one-stop commodities shopping. Not only does the ETF offer exposure to coffee and cotton, it features allocations to gold and silver as well. 

Overall, GCC is home to 17 equally-weighted commodities. Grains, such as corn, soybeans and wheat, represent 17.6 percent of the ETF's total weight. GCC's equal-weight posture dampens the impact anyone commodity can have on the fund, but corn's rally has helped the ETF jump almost 8.4 percent in the past month.

For more on commodities ETFs, click <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/12/07/2737071/as-corn-surges-cow-disappoints">here</a>.

CORN

Beyond CORN: Other Ways to Play the Commodity's Surge

Global Sukuk (Islamic bonds) issuance, which exceeded $85bn last year translating a growth of 90% on y-o-y basis, is expected to increase by 25-30% to break the USD 200 billion barrier.

According to Kuwait Finance House Research Limited (KFHR), the 2011 total to $85.1bn represented a year-on-year increase of 90.2 percent compared to 2010. The global Sukuk secondary market also reached an all-time high of $178.2bn by the year-end, a 24 percent increase on 2010, the report said.

Sukuk issuance in 2012 will increase by 25-30% to break the $ 200 billion barrier, despite challenges that face prosperity of this industry, such as the financial struggles of some European countries and their effect on the rest of the world.

The report says that several positive indicators forecast a brighter future for Sukuk during this year, such as the increasing role of governmental issuance that will form the backbone of the market to boost the private sector and finance major developmental projects; the economic growth that the region and emerging markets are witnessing; having new parties and the increase in popularity of Sukuk outside Islamic markets, after Sukuk successfully substituted conventional bonds.

Meanwhile, HSBC Holdings Plc said that the sales of Islamic bonds may rise to $44 billion this year as demand outstrips supply and as Asian and Middle East investors tap the market complying with Islamic banking rulings.

Mohammed Dawood, managing director of Islamic global markets, Europe, Middle East and Africa for HSBC Amanah, said the dramatic increase in Sukuk issuance has been triggered by Islamic bonds' remarkable performance amid the global meltdown.

While Malaysia and Southeast Asia seems to be setting the pace, there are signs that the Sukuk sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#">GCC</a>) markets and a few fellow MENA countries such as Turkey are showing a rebound, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE offering the best potential.

Sukuk structuring experts such as Mohamad Safri Shahul Hamid, a senior executive of CIMB Islamic Bank, stress that the (Malaysian) ringgit Sukuk market will continue to dominate with several mega issuances to fund infrastructure development activities and programs. 

A Reuter reports said that a flurry of Sukuk issues from the Gulf this week shows borrowers are worried about limited global liquidity and future access to debt markets, and are turning to Islamic finance as a source of money that is relatively untouched by the global turmoil.
Gulf bond issuance was lower than expected last year as many companies held off on coming to market, unwilling to pay high prices due to poor market conditions; total debt issuance from the Gulf region last year was $25.8 billion, short of analysts' estimates that volumes would be well above $30 billion.

Another report from Wall Street Journal confirmed this trend, saying that tighter funding in Europe is pushing Middle East issuers to tap the still-liquid Islamic finance markets for funds. Two regional banks have sold Islamic bonds, or Sukuk, last week. Dubai-based Emirates Islamic Bank issued a $500 million, five-year Islamic bond with a yield of 4.718%, while Abu Dhabi-based First Gulf Bank sold a $500 million, five-year Sukuk with a yield of 4.046%. 

Yet another research report tabled by Morgan Stanley stated that Middle East and North Africa foreign bond sales in 2012 will surpass last year's $27.6 billion as borrowers need to pay loans and will increasingly choose bonds.
(End)

Global

Global Islamic Bond issuance: Rockets to $85 Billion in 2011; to surpass $200 Billion in 2012‎  

AECOM Technology Corporation (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/acm#NYSE">ACM</a>) and The Shaw Group, Inc. (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/shaw#NYSE">SHAW</a>) announced today that Pacific Contingency Services LLC, a joint venture between AECOM and Shaw's Environmental &amp; Infrastructure Group, was awarded an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity multiple award Global Contingency Services Contract by the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Pacific. 

Under the contract, the joint venture will provide short-term facility support services with incidental construction in response to natural disasters, humanitarian efforts, full-range military actions and incumbent breaks in services at various locations throughout the world. 

Support services with incidental construction may include airfield and port operations, ship charter, supply, emergency management, fire and emergency services, force protection, safety, environmental, facility support, fleet and family readiness, command, information technology services, resource management, total force management, and training and readiness. 

The contract is similar to a Global Contingency Construction (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#">GCC</a>) contract held by Atlantic Contingency Constructors LLC, which includes AECOM and Shaw's Environmental &amp; Infrastructure Group and addresses global contingency construction needs for the U.S. Navy. Several of AECOM and Shaw's operations have provided services under GCC and the companies anticipate additional opportunities on future task orders under both contracts. 

The joint venture is one of six companies selected to compete for up to US$900 million in task orders under the contract, which includes a one-year base period, plus four option years.

Contracts

SHAW

AECOM, Shaw joint venture is one of six companies awarded Global Contingency Services Contract worth up to US$900 million   

There's no shortage of ETFs and ETNs available on U.S. exchanges that offer exposure to a specific commodity and that high level of choice is good for investors. There also isn't a dearth of ETFs that offer basket exposure to several commodities. Again, that's a good thing.

At least it should be. The problem with many ETFs that take the basket approach to commodities, commonly known as commodity index ETFs, is that they aren't all that diverse. Frankly, most are excessively weighted to a mixture of energy futures contracts meaning investors are basically buying an oil/natural gas ETF.

For a truly diverse approach to commodities investing, the best option may just be the GreenHaven Continuous Commodity Index ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>), today's “Under The Hood” candidate. By any metric, GCC has been a success. The ETF is over five years old and has accumulated over $724 million in assets under management. Average daily volume exceeds 265,000 shares and in the past five years, GCC has outperformed other commodity index ETFs, such as the PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dba#NYSE">DBA</a>) and the PowerShares DB Commodity Tracking Index ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dbc#NYSE">DBC</a>).

GCC's success lies in its diversity. The ETF offers exposure to 17 different commodities on an equal-weight exposure. That lineup includes corn, cotton, wheat, soybeans, live cattle, lean hogs, coffee, cocoa, sugar, oil, natural gas, orange juice, gold, silver, platinum and heating oil.

GreenHaven isn't shy about trumping its relative lack of energy exposure compared to comparable funds as the firm makes note of this on its Web site. Still, energy futures account for 17.6% of GCC's weight. Grains get the same allocation, but both energy and grains are well outpaced by softs (29.4%) and metals (23.5%). Livestock futures receive an allocation of almost 12%.

One knock on GCC would be an expense ratio of 0.85%, which is high by the standards of unleveraged long ETFs, but not unsurprising given the costs of having to purchase futures contracts for 17 different commodities.

The deciding factor with a fund like GCC should be whether or not the ETF has the potential to outperform comparable ETFs (it has) and single-commodity funds. In the latter case, on a year-to-date basis, GCC has bested the U.S. Oil Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/uso#NYSE">USO</a>) and ETNs tracking cattle, cocoa and cotton, just to name a few. That bolsters the case for making GCC a top choice for diversified commodities exposure.

After-Hours Center

Under The Hood: Maybe The Best Commodity Index ETF

The Aussie and the Kiwi rose on Wednesday against major currencies, following a higher-than-expected rise in Australia's inflation. At around 5:42 am GMT, the U.S. dollar lost 0.88% of its value against the Aussie to trade around 0.9046. The greenback has been losing ground against major currencies in the last couple of days as traders become increasingly agitated by a looming U.S. default, but the Aussie made inroads into other currencies as well. The euro fell 0.77% to stand around 1.3143, while the British pound is trading around 1.4858, or 0.78% below its previous close. At the same time, the Kiwi is trading at 1.1421 against the dollar (up 0.55%), 1.6594 against the euro (up 0.44%), and 1.8758 against the pound (up 0.46%).

The Aussie found support in a higher-than-expected increase in inflation. According to <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/australias-cpi-rises-more-than-expected-2011-07-26">the Australian Bureau of Statistics</a>, Australia's CPI increased by 0.9% in the June quarter, compared to the previous quarter. The Q2 results were below a 1.6% increase in the March quarter, but above 0.8% expected by most analysts. 

In spite of rising inflationary pressures, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14303483">Reserve Bank of Australia</a>, Australia's central bank, has left its interest rates unchanged since November 2010. So far, Australia's central bank has blamed temporary factors on the rising inflation. However, many analysts believe the central bank's board might be forced to re-think its position following the latest sign of rising price levels. 

The Kiwi found support in improving business confidence. According to <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/187333/20110726/new-zealand-business-confidence-nbsp.htm">the National Bank of New Zealand</a>, New Zealand's business confidence rose from 38.7 in June to 43.7 in July. At the same time, the activity outlook improved from 46.5 in June to 47.6 in July.

Australia and New Zealand were among the star performers among the developed countries following the financial crisis. Recently, both countries have been hit hard by natural disasters (Australia by floods and New Zealand by an earthquake). The latest data suggest that both countries are recovering.

Both countries are major exporters of commodities, so continuing rise in the prices of commodities should provide an additional boost to the economies of Australia and New Zealand. On Wednesday, gold rose to new heights as the yellow metal approaches the $1,625 mark. Presently, gold is trading around $1,624.55, or 0.2% above its previous close. Silver is also climbing higher, rising 0.1% to $40.97. However, crude oil fell 0.1% to $99.34. The price of copper is also in retreat, sliding 0.04% to $4.483.

The prices of commodities are increasingly linked to the performance of China, which has become the world's largest consumer of raw materials. As a result, both Australia and New Zealand may be spared the worst effects of a possible debt collapse in the United States and the Eurozone, since their economies are now more and more linked to China. 

ACTION ITEMS: Bullish: Traders who believe that rising commodities prices will continue to support the economic recovery in Australia and New Zealand, which should provide some steam for the Aussie and the Kiwi, might want to consider the following trades: 

<ul><li>GreenHaven Continuous Commodity Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>) is a long play on commodities. GCC may rise if the prices of commodities rise.</li></ul>

<ul><li>CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/fxa#NYSE">FXA</a>) is a long play on the Aussie. FXA may rise if the Aussie appreciates.</li></ul>

<ul><li>WisdomTree Dreyfus New Zealand Dollar Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/bnz#NYSE">BNZ</a>) is a long play on the Kiwi. BNZ may rise if the Kiwi appreciates.</li></ul>

Bearish: Traders who believe that the Aussie and the Kiwi are already overvalued, which might have detrimental effect on the countries' exporters, may consider an alternate positions: 

<ul><li>PowerShares DB Commodity Short ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ddp#NYSE">DDP</a>) is a short play on commodities. DDP may fall if the prices of commodities decrease.</li></ul>

<ul><li>ETFS Short New Zealand Dollar Long US Dollar ETC (Sterling) ETF (SNZP) is a short play on the Kiwi. SNZP may rise if the Kiwi depreciates.</li></ul>

<ul><li>ETFS Short Australian Dollar Long US Dollar ETC ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/sad#">SAD</a>) is a short play on the Aussie. SAD may rise if the Aussie depreciates.</li></ul>

Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommend that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.

Currency ETFs

Forex

Economics

Wisdom tree Drefus New Zeland Dollar Fund

AB Svensk Ekportkredit (Swedish Export Credit Corporation)

Aussie and Kiwi Rise as Australia's Inflation Beats Expectations

Wednesday trading so far has seen mixed fortunes for the Kiwi and the Aussie. While the Aussie lost some ground against the U.S. dollar, as the greenback rose 0.11% to 0.9439, the Kiwi made small gains, trading at 1.2303 against the U.S. dollar, or a rise of 0.02%.

New Zealand's economy posted encouraging trade balance data earlier today. According to <a href="http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/economic_indicators/balance_of_payments/BalanceOfPayments_MRMar11qtr.aspx">Statistics New Zealand</a>, the country's trade balance improved to -1.8 billion NZD in the March quarter from -2.9 billion NZD in the last quarter of 2010. Smaller deficit was a result of the Christchurch earthquake, which affected the performance of foreign companies. Profits from foreign investment fell by 1 billion NZD in the period, driven primarily by a fall in the profits of foreign-owned insurance companies.

The credit card data was less supportive of the Kiwi, however. According to the <a href="http://www.ideq.net/new-zealand-credit-card-spending-records-slow-growth-in-may/">Reserve Bank of New Zealand</a>, credit card spending fell from 6.1% in April (year-over-year) to 5.1% in May. On a monthly basis, credit card spending rose 0.6% in May, significantly down from a 1.8% rise in April. 

The New Zealand economy has been hit hard by the Christchurch earthquake earlier in the year. The recent data show that the country's economy is slowly recovering from the negative consequences of natural disasters.

Australia is another country whose economy has been marred by natural disaster problems. If the recovery in New Zealand is not stellar, in Australia it seems to be even weaker. According to the <a href="http://www.seputarforex.com/eng/news/forex/view.php?nid=56588&amp;title=australia_leading_index_growth_slows_in_april_">Westpac Banking Corp. and the Melbourne Institute</a>, Australia's leading index, which determines overall economic health by combining nine other indicators, fell from 0.6 in March to 0.1 in April.

Both Australia and New Zealand are major exporters of commodities. As a result, the value of their currencies is closely related to the commodity prices. In today's trading, the commodity prices have been providing headwind for the Aussie and the Kiwi. At the moment, gold fell 0.06% to $1,546.95, while silver lost 0.12% of its value and stands around $36.36. Natural gas trades around $4.404, or 0.15% below yesterday's close, while copper fell 0.21% to $4.074. The only major commodity whose price rose today was crude oil, which edged 0.02% higher to $93.77.

In spite of somewhat unconvincing data coming from the economies of New Zealand and Australia, both currencies made progress against the euro. The European currency fell 0.06% against the Aussie to 1.3582 and 0.15% against the Kiwi to 1.7707 as the European currency is still suffering from the effects of the Greek crisis.

Traders who believe that the recovery in both Australia and New Zealand is likely to speed up soon, supported by rising commodity prices and strong growth in China, which should provide a significant tailwind for the Aussie and the Kiwi, will be interested in the CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/fxa#NYSE">FXA</a>) and the WisdomTree Dreyfus New Zealand Dollar Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/bnz#NYSE">BNZ</a>). Traders who believe in the rising value of these two currencies might think the prices of commodities might rise as well. They will be, therefore, also interested in the GreenHaven Continuous Commodity Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>), the iShares GSCI Commodity-Indexed Trust Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gsg#NYSE">GSG</a>), and the PowerShares DB Commodity Double Long ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dyy#NYSE">DYY</a>).

Other traders will be worried that the Chinese economy might be overheating. China is a very important trading partner for both countries. China is also the world's largest consumer of raw materials. As a result, a deterioration in China's economy can push the prices of commodities lower, which should provide a significant headwind for both the economies and currencies of Australia and New Zealand. Traders who believe in this scenario will be more interested in the PowerShares DB Commodity Short ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ddp#NYSE">DDP</a>), the ETFS Short New Zealand Dollar Long US Dollar ETC (Sterling) ETF (SNZP), and the ETFS Short Australian Dollar Long US Dollar ETC (Sterling) ETF (SAUP).

Mixed Fortunes for Aussie and Kiwi

PowerShares Dynamic Developed International Opportunities Portfolio

PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II PowerShares FTSE RAFI Emerging Markets Portfolio

Rydex ETF Trust Rydex S&P Equal Weight ETF

SCHX

Japan Disaster -- Prevention is Better Than Cure -- How Does that Apply to Investing?

<div>
Coming out of the great recession, governments around the world have adopted  loose monetary policies to prop up the economies. These include U.S. central bank's QE2 (Quantitative Easing act 2) and Euro Zone's bailout of troubling peripheral countries like Greece. The current natural disasters in Japan and other countries can only add more demand for the stimulus. These policies resulted in commodity hoarding, especially in material hungry emerging economies such as China. 
It is critical to have anti-inflation anti-currency devaluation component. In this article, we explore the feasibility of adding commodity exposure to an income producing portfolio. Commodity ETFs are effective tools to cope with the current situations. In a portfolio that is designed to preserve capital for retirement needs. However, because of volatile and somewhat dangerous nature of commodites, one needs to actively manage such a portfolio by adopting tactical asset allocation strategies. 
</div>
<div>Income producing ETFs such as high yield stock ETFs and bond ETFs can be used to build a lower risk portfolio for retirement income producing purpose. We study the two plans: one is without commodity exposure and the other one with the exposure. </div>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/f401k_view.action?ID=5,635">Retirement Income ETFs with Commodities</a> plan is an extension to <a href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/f401k_view.action?ID=4,904">Retirement Income ETFs</a>: adding extra commodity asset class with PowerShares DB Commodity Index (DBC) and GreenHaven Continuous Commodity (GCC). This plan consists of 37 funds. These funds enable investors to gain exposure to 6 major assets: US Equity, Commodity, Foreign Equity, Emerging Market Equity, REITs, Fixed Income. Compared with <a href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/f401k_view.action?ID=4,904">Retirement Income ETFs</a>, this plan has two additional ETFs that represent the extra commodity asset class.  
The following is the list of the candidate ETFs in the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/f401k_view.action?ID=5,635">Retirement Income ETFs with Commodities</a>: 
 
<table style="width: 100%;" border="0" cellspacing="20px">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="45%" align="left">The list of minor asset classes covered by Retirement Income ETFs with Commodities</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="45%" valign="top">Commodities Broad Basket: DBC, GCC Diversified Emerging Mkts: EEM, VWO, DEM Emerging Markets Bond: EMB, PCY Foreign Large Value: PID, IDV Global Real Estate: RWX High Yield Bond: HYG Inflation-protected Bond: TIP Intermediate Government: IEI Intermediate-term Bond: CIU, CORP, MBB Large Blend: VIG Large Value: DVY, SDY, VYM, FVD Long Government: IEF, TLT Long-term Bond: LQD, VCLT Mid-cap Value: PEY Miscellaneous Sector: PFF Muni National Long: MUB Muni Short: SHM Real Estate: IYR, ICF, VNQ Short Government: SHY Short-term Bond: CSJ, VCSH World Bond: BWX, WIP </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
 
As of Mar 24, 2011, Retirement Income ETFs with Commodities investment choice is rated as and Retirement Income ETFs investment choice is rated as average based on MyPlanIQ <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/f401k_showplanscorelist.action">Plan Rating methodology </a> that was designed to measure how effective a plan's available investment funds are.  It has the following detailed ratings:
 
The chart and table below show the historical performance of moderate model portfolios employing strategic and tactical asset allocation strategies (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/jsp/strategy/View.action?ID=771">SAA </a>and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/jsp/strategy/View.action?ID=1003">TAA </a>, both provided by MyPlanIQ). 
Performance chart (as of Mar 24, 2011)
<a rel="lightbox" href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/article_viewchart.action?portfolioID=32390,32391,22062,22065&amp;compareID=4,904"> <img src="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/article_viewchart.action?portfolioID=32390,32391,22062,22065&amp;compareID=4,904" /> </a>
Performance table (as of Mar 24, 2011)
<div id="show_Port_div" style="display: block;">
<table id="comparetablePort" class="tablesorter" style="width: 100%;" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0">
<thead>
<tr>
<th class="header" width="40%">Portfolio Name</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">1Yr AR</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">1Yr Sharpe</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">3Yr AR</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">3Yr Sharpe</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">5Yr AR</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">5Yr Sharpe</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/jsp/portfolio/ViewPortfolio.action?ID=32,390"> Retirement Income ETFs with Commodities Tactical Asset Allocation Moderate</a></td>
<td>10%</td>
<td>79%</td>
<td>8%</td>
<td>68%</td>
<td>11%</td>
<td>83%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/jsp/portfolio/ViewPortfolio.action?ID=32,391"> Retirement Income ETFs with Commodities Strategic Asset Allocation Moderate</a></td>
<td>11%</td>
<td>97%</td>
<td>1%</td>
<td>4%</td>
<td>4%</td>
<td>20%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/jsp/portfolio/ViewPortfolio.action?ID=22,062"> Retirement Income ETFs Tactical Asset Allocation Moderate</a></td>
<td>7%</td>
<td>40%</td>
<td>8%</td>
<td>65%</td>
<td>10%</td>
<td>62%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/jsp/portfolio/ViewPortfolio.action?ID=22,065"> Retirement Income ETFs Strategic Asset Allocation Moderate</a></td>
<td>11%</td>
<td>69%</td>
<td>3%</td>
<td>14%</td>
<td>5%</td>
<td>17%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
Discussions:
1. Commodity ETFs are volatile. In fact, PowerShare DB Commodity Index ETF (DBC) lost 32% in 2008 while iShares S&amp;P GSCI Commodity Index (GSG) lost a whopping 46% in the same year. 
2. Simply adding commodity ETFs to a strategic asset allocation portfolio (buy and hold with regular rebalancing) did not improve the returns in the past five years. This is again due to the big loss incurred in commodtiy ETFs. 
3. Adding commodity ETFs as fund candidates in a tactical asset allocation portfolio, however, can improve returns. In the past five years, <a href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/jsp/portfolio/ViewPortfolio.action?ID=32,390">Retirement Income ETFs with Commodities Tactical Asset Allocation Moderate</a> had extra 1% annualized return over <a href="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/jsp/portfolio/ViewPortfolio.action?ID=22,062">Retirement Income ETFs Tactical Asset Allocation Moderate</a>. 
In conclusions. commodity ETFs are effective tools to cope with the current situations. In a portfolio that is designed to preserve capital for retirement needs. However, because of volatile and somewhat dangerous nature of commodites, one needs to actively manage such a portfolio by adopting tactical asset allocation strategies. 
 Disclosure: 
MyPlanIQ does not have any business relationship with the company or companies mentioned in this article. It does not set up their retirement plans. The performance data of portfolios mentioned above are obtained through historical simulation and are hypothetical.
Symbols:<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=DBC&amp;count=0094'>DBC</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=GCC&amp;count=002'>GCC</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=GSG&amp;count=0076'>GSG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=EEM&amp;count=00107'>EEM</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VWO&amp;count=00107'>VWO</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=DEM&amp;count=0013'>DEM</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=EMB&amp;count=0033'>EMB</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=PCY&amp;count=0031'>PCY</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=PID&amp;count=0023'>PID</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IDV&amp;count=0011'>IDV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=RWX&amp;count=0030'>RWX</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=HYG&amp;count=0096'>HYG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=TIP&amp;count=0028'>TIP</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=WIP&amp;count=0020'>WIP</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IEI&amp;count=0016'>IEI</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=CIU&amp;count=00104'>CIU</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=CORP&amp;count=002'>CORP</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=MBB&amp;count=0074'>MBB</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VIG&amp;count=0014'>VIG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol= DVY&amp;count=001'> DVY</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=SDY&amp;count=0012'>SDY</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VYM&amp;count=0012'>VYM</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=FVD&amp;count=0010'>FVD</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IEF&amp;count=0083'>IEF</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=TLT&amp;count=0083'>TLT</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=LQD&amp;count=0064'>LQD</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VCLT&amp;count=005'>VCLT</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=PEY&amp;count=0010'>PEY</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=PFF&amp;count=0011'>PFF</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=MUB&amp;count=0079'>MUB</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=SHM&amp;count=005'>SHM</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IYR&amp;count=00103'>IYR</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=ICF&amp;count=0084'>ICF</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VNQ&amp;count=00100'>VNQ</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=SHY&amp;count=0080'>SHY</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=CSJ&amp;count=0068'>CSJ</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VCSH&amp;count=008'>VCSH</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=BWX&amp;count=0043'>BWX</a>,
Exchange Tickers: (DBC),(GCC),(GSG),(EEM),(VWO),(DEM),(EMB),(PCY),(PID),(IDV),(RWX),(HYG),(TIP),(WIP),(IEI),(CIU),(CORP),(MBB),(VIG),(DVY),(SDY),(VYM),(FVD),(IEF),(TLT),(LQD),(VCLT),(PEY),(PFF),(MUB),(SHM),(IYR),( ICF),(VNQ),(SHY),(CSJ),(VCSH),(BWX)
 
					<a href = "http://www.myplaniq.com:80/jforum/posts/preList/2872/3019.page">comments(0)</a>  
					<a class="a2a_dd" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save"><img src="http://static.addtoany.com/buttons/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" height="16" border="0" alt="Share/Bookmark" /></a>

iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend Index Fund

iShares JPMorgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Fund

First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund ETF

iShares Dow Jones International Select Dividend Income Fund

iShares Trust Barclays 7-10 Year Treasury Bond Fund

iShares Trust Dow Jones US Real Estate Fund Index

iShares S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Fund

PowerShares Emerging Markets Sovereign  Portfolio

iShares S&P US Preferred Stock Index Fund

PowerShares ETF Trust International Dividend Achievers Portfolio

iShares Trust Barclays 1-3 Year Treasury Bond Fund

iShares Trust Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond Fund

VCLT

SPDR DB International Government Inflation-Protected Bond ETF

Tactically Manage An Income Producing Portfolio With Commodity Exposure

Tim Hortons (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/thi#NYSE">THI</a>) today announced the next steps in its international development and has signed a Master License Agreement (MLA) with Apparel Group based in Dubai for up to 120 multi-format restaurants in markets in the Gulf Cooperation Council (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#">GCC</a>).
This announcement follows a comprehensive assessment and due diligence process. Based on success in our initial market entry in the GCC region, our international growth strategy is designed to then evaluate potential additional regional market entries following the first few years of international development.

Tim Hortons Reaches Agreement for up to 120 Restaurants over Five-years in Gulf Cooperation Council Markets 

What a run for commodities. Throw the names of all the major and even obscure hard assets into a hat and chances are you would've picked a lot more winners than losers this year.
Metals have shined. Coffee and sugar have gotten investors excited and that's without direct consumption of those products. Wheat, cotton, corn, all bullish in a big a way.
Whether you're looking to do your best Jim Rogers impression or simply can't decide on one specific commodity or commodity ETF, there is no reason to fret because there are several interesting ETFs and ETNs that offer exposure to multiple commodities and for some reason, they aren't getting much press.
Take a look.
1) iShares S&amp;P GSCI Commodity-Indexed Trust (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gsg#NYSE">GSG</a>) Excellent volume (almost 390,000 shares per day on average) and great assets under management ($1.6 billion) make it odd that GSG doesn't get more press.
The fund does offer exposure to multiple corners of the commodities world, but be advised that energy commodities account for more than two-thirds of GSG's holdings and precious metals account for less than 4%.
2) GreenHaven Continuous Commodity Index (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#NYSE">GCC</a>) 
While not on the same level as GSG, GCC checks in with solid volume and AUM in its own right. Beyond that, this fund gets you exposure to a broad swath of commodities. Gold, copper, coffee, sugar, corn and even live cattle dot GCC's roster. Be advised this fund uses futures contracts, not physical holdings. Who wants to hold a live cow anyway?
3) iPath DJ-UBS Prec Metals TR Sub-Idx ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/jjp#NYSE">JJP</a>) 
Can't decide between gold and silver? Go with JJP. Three-quarters of the fund is devoted to gold, the rest to silver. That's it.
4) ELEMENTS Rogers International Commodity Metal ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/rjz#NYSE">RJZ</a>) 
OK, let's assume that the data on the ELEMENTS Web site, which is dated January 26, is still correct. That means copper and aluminum combined for almost 38% of RJZ's weight, gold gets more than 14% while lead, silver and zinc get about 9.5% each. Even platinum checks in at 8.5%.
How is no one paying attention to this ETN that doesn't force you to pick one specific metal? Rather, if it gives you exposure to 10. Just one ETF newsletter has recommended this fund, not including a bullish nod given to RJZ by the Professor earlier this year.

Pre-Market Outlook

iPath DJ-UBS Precious Metals Subindex Total Return ETN

Four Backdoor Commodites Plays No One Is Talking About

General Cable Corporation (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/bgc#NYSE">BGC</a>) announced today that it has formed a joint venture with International Cable Industries LLC (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/ici#">ICI</a>), a limited liability company organized in Oman. The joint venture company in which General Cable will have a majority interest will distribute a wide variety of wire and cable products for the energy, electrical infrastructure and construction markets in Oman and other Gulf Cooperation Council (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#">GCC</a>) countries. General Cable will provide access to a wide range of its products and offer technical support to ICI.
General Cable believes that the demand for wire and cable products in Oman and the GCC region will continue to grow due to increasing investment in infrastructure and power generation projects as well as a regionally favorable GDP outlook. Countries throughout the region continue to invest in large-scale transport, construction, oil and gas, power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure.
“We believe the formation of this joint venture is significant in establishing an important local presence in the growing markets in the Gulf region,” said Mathias Sandoval, Executive Vice President, President and Chief Executive Officer of General Cable Rest of World. “This new venture will allow us to improve the supply of the full range of General Cable products into the Region,” said Roddy Macdonald, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Business Development, who will lead this business in Oman.

Management

General Cable Announces Joint Venture in Oman

<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheeconomiccollapseblog.com%2Farchives%2Fwinners-and-losers"> 
				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheeconomiccollapseblog.com%2Farchives%2Fwinners-and-losers&amp;style=normal" height="61" width="50" /> 
			</a>
		</div>
<a rel="attachment wp-att-1011" href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/winners-and-losers/winners-and-losers"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-1011" title="Winners And Losers" src="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Winners-And-Losers-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>When you mention the word "globalism" to most people, they think of something that is going to happen someday in the future.  But the truth is that globalism is already here.  At this point we essentially already have a one world economy.  Goods and services flow across national borders more freely today than at any other point in human history.  A major economic event on one side of the world instantly affects financial markets on the other side of the world.  Labor has become a truly global commodity.  You can go to the exact same fast food restaurant or buy the exact same iPod on six different continents.  A whole host of international trade agreements are making national borders economically irrelevant.  Today our "big box" stores and shopping malls are jammed full with products that have been made overseas and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find American-made products.  The reality is that it has now become undeniable that globalism has arrived and we are now part of a world economy that is integrating at lightning speed.  Unfortunately, all of this globalism has created some very clear winners and losers.  But most middle class Americans are in such a deep sleep that they don't even realize that they are the losers.
The sad truth is that as work has become a global commodity, middle class American workers have been placed in direct competition with the cheapest labor in the world.  For years the U.S. economy was so strong that nobody really noticed that it was bleeding thousands of jobs every single month.  But now that 14 million Americans are unemployed and the U.S. economy is literally hemorrhaging jobs people are starting to sit up and take notice.
Let's take a look at one recent example.  Ford Motor Company has just announced <a href="http://www.economyincrisis.org/content/american-factories-continue-shutter">the closure of a facility that produces the Ford Ranger</a> in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Approximately 750 good paying jobs are going to be lost.
But isn't Ford doing better these days?
Sure.
Don't people still need Ford Rangers?
Of course they do.
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty even offered Ford a multi-million dollar incentive package full of tax cuts and job creation incentives to keep the factory going.
Basically, Pawlenty did everything except get down on his hands and knees and beg Ford to keep the plant open.
But it wasn't good enough for Ford.
So where is Ford going to make those Ford Rangers now?
Well, the statement issues by Ford did not say, but it did offer some clues....
"Ford continues to concentrate on implementing the plan we initiated four years ago to streamline our plant operations and better leverage our global platforms. At this time, the Twin Cities Assembly Plant does not fit into our global manufacturing strategy."
Did you notice that the world "global" was used twice there?
In other words, Ford plans to move their factory some place where labor is cheaper.
But the truth is that this is happening in every industry.
Between 2004 to 2008, tire imports from China increased 215 percent by volume and 295 percent by value.
During that same time period, tire manufacturing in the United States fell by 25 percent.
It turns out that there are lots of people who are willing to make tires for near slave labor wages in China.
In our new "global economy", American workers are just far too expensive.  So middle class manufacturing jobs are fleeing our shores at a staggering pace.
Since 1979, manufacturing employment in the United States <a href="http://www.economyincrisis.org/content/welcome-new-economy-would-you-fries">has fallen by 40 percent</a>.
Are you alarmed yet?
You should be.
The truth is that we did not have to merge our economy with nations like China.  China does not have the same minimum wage laws that we do.  China does not have the same environmental protection laws that we do.  In China, companies can treat their workers like crap.  As a result of open trade with the United States, scores of shiny new factories have opened all over China while once great manufacturing U.S. cities such as Detroit have degenerated into rotting war zones.  We continue to expand trade with China even though their communist government stands for things that are absolutely repulsive and has a list of human rights abuses that is seemingly endless.
But politicians from both parties swore up and down that globalism would be so good for us.  Now we have created a network of free trade agreements that would be virtually impossible to unwind.  The following are just some of the free trade agreements in force around the world right now....
The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) 
The Central American Integration System (SICA) 
The Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) 
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) 
The Commonwealth of Independent States Free Trade Agreement (CISFTA)The G-3 Free Trade Agreement (G-3) 
The Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) 
The Gulf Cooperation Council (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/gcc#">GCC</a>) 
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) 
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) 
The South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) 
The Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/tpp#">TPP</a>)
Of course the most important trade organization of them all is the World Trade Organization (WTO) which is constantly working to expand world trade and further integrate the economies of the world.
But the American people don't understand all this.  They just want the U.S. government to do something to create more jobs. 
But whenever the U.S. Congress tries to do something nice for U.S. workers like raising the minimum wage or requiring companies to give them more benefits it ends up backfiring.
Why?
Because those things make American workers even more expensive and it gives companies even more incentive to send our jobs overseas.
We have recklessly merged our economy with economies around the world that are far less developed than our own.  Unless this thing is reversed, it is inevitable that the standard of living of American workers will be forced down until it approximately matches workers in the rest of the world.
Already, millions of high-paying manufacturing jobs are being replaced by low-paying service jobs.
The U.S. Labor Department’s 2009 Occupational Employment and Wages report found that retail sales, cashiers, general office clerks, food preparation and service workers, and nurses were the occupations with the highest levels of employment in 2009.
Retail sales and food service workers?
Those are jobs for 17 year old kids.
But today apologists for this flawed system tell us that we just need to suck it up and take two or even three low paying jobs because things will never go back to how they used to be.
So has globalism created any winners?
Of course.
<a href="http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/30-statistics-that-prove-the-elite-are-getting-richer-the-poor-are-getting-poorer-and-the-middle-class-is-being-destroyed">As I noted yesterday</a>, the folks down on Wall Street are doing quite well.  New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says that Wall Street bonuses for 2009 <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outbound/article/www.washingtontimes.com');" href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/23/ny-comptroller-wall-st-bonuses-17/" target="_blank">were up 17 percent</a> when compared with 2008.
The reality is that the exploitation of very cheap foreign labor has enabled many large global corporations to make insane amounts of money.  Things are very good if you are at the top of the food chain.  <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outbound/article/harvardmagazine.com');" href="http://harvardmagazine.com/2010/07/after-our-bubble">According to Harvard Magazine</a>, 66% of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.
In addition, our elected officials are doing quite nicely these days.  According to an <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/116489-wealthy-lawmakers-increased-their-riches-as-economy-sputtered-in-2009-" target="_blank">analysis by The Hill</a>, the 50 wealthiest members of the U.S. Congress saw their collective fortunes increase 85.1 million dollars to $1.4 billion in 2009.
Yes, it is very profitable to be part of America's ruling class.
Meanwhile, tens of millions of average Americans continue to suffer.  Recently a user on <a href="http://unemployed-friends.forumotion.com/introduce-yourself-f68/hi-all-just-introducing-myself-and-my-story-t15099.htm">Unemployed-Friends</a> named Jim shared his tragic story....
<div>
My Name is Jim and I was laid off last June.
My whole department was outsourced.
There was talk of it and when I heard it from my boss (the CFO) when I went home I started to send out resumes.
Then the day came when the layoff came.
So in 1.3 years I have sent out 160K resumes, between blasting, send out from job boards and e-mailing my resume blindly to companies HR departments.
I was on 5 interviews.
I want to work badly.
Everyday I send out resumes but lately I have been getting depressed, I found out who my real friends and family are now.
I have been kicked down substantially in these 1.3 years.
I feel like I'm staring into an abyss of no jobs, will I ever work again? IDK.
When I used to talk to "Friends" and "Family" they all say "Things will get better" "Don't worry", Yeah right.
I feel so alone and worthless.
I wish I had at least 1 GOOD friend but it seems like no-a-days the dog eat dog world is worst than ever.
I'm NOT suicidal, not at all.
Then I found this site.
I have been saying we are in a depression for 2 years but nobody listened and people have dismissed what I have said.
The sad thing is it seems like we are on the verge of an economic collapse or worst.
So that is my story
Americans like Jim don't understand why they can't get jobs anymore.
They feel like failures, but it is actually the system that is failing.
Globalism is not good for middle class American workers.
Democrats can continue to pass law after law that attempts to help American workers, but unless something is done to protect American jobs they are going to continue to be shipped overseas.
Republicans can pass tax break after tax break, but unless those tax breaks are linked to jobs the ruling elite and the big global corporations will just pocket those tax breaks and will continue to ship jobs overseas in order to make bigger profits.
What both parties should be doing is trying to figure out ways to keep American jobs in America, but at this point both parties are completely sold out to globalism.
Globalism was the official policy of the Bush administration and it is the official policy of the Obama administration.
Unless something dramatic changes, the U.S. economy is going to continue to lose huge numbers of jobs and people like Jim are going to continue to wonder what in the world happened to their lives.
But in 2010, most Americans are so busy drinking beer, watching sports, keeping up with Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, and obsessing over the new cast of Dancing With The Stars that they aren't even aware that things are literally falling apart all around them.
It is really sad.
</div>

Winners And Losers

US equities fell for a second week in trading through Friday, July 26, based on the S&P 500 Index. The slide marks the first back-to-back weekly decline since April.

Despite The Latest Correction, US Stocks Still Lead Global Markets

Will Global Market Sell-Off Dethrone U.S. Stocks' 2024 Leadership?

Have Commodities Hit Peak Bearishness? What Happens Next?

Weekly Commentary: 'D' For Dis-Equipoise

What's Your Plan?

U.S. Stocks Continue To Top Global Markets In 2024

Small Businesses Warn Of Weak Outlook

The correction appears to be over. In this video, I discuss how gold, silver, and the miners and juniors look set to head higher.

Get Our Top Trade Ideas Delivered Daily - 65% Off Now

Get Our Top Trade Ideas Delivered Daily - 65% Off Now

Comments

WisdomTree EnhancedContinuous Commodity Index Fund

Overview

WisdomTree EnhancedContinuous Commodity Index Fund (ARCA:GCC), Quote.Headers.trade-ideas