IHS Markit

The Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLB) and other materials exchange-traded funds struggled to start 2018, but the group has recently shown signs of perking up. Last week, XLB gained about 3 percent, pushing its June gain to 4 percent, a move that's erased a year-to-date loss. What...

The ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF (NYSE: MJ), the only U.S.-listed exchange-traded fund that's a pure play on marijuana-related equities, is enjoying a solid rebound effort in May with a gain of about 7 percent this month. There are some catalysts, political and otherwise, that have the...

The iShares MSCI Turkey ETF (NYSE: TUR), the lone exchange-traded fund dedicated to Turkish stocks, is lower by more than 12 percent this year. As if that's not bad enough, the specter of another presidential election looms over the country's often volatile financial markets. Earlier this...

The Global X MSCI Greece ETF (NYSE: GREK), the only U.S.-listed exchange-traded fund dedicated to Greek stocks, is up 2.72 percent year-to-date. GREK is easily topping the 2018 performance of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, a relevant comparison because Greece is classified as a developing economy...

U.S. dividend growth remains impressive even as interest rates are rising. The dividend growth theme is expected to continue, particularly in the current quarter. “IHS Markit is forecasting that quarterly dividends declared by firms in the S&P 500 will top $115 billion in the current...

Shares of Elon Musk's Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) are up more than 16 percent over the past 12 months, but that hasn't been enough to keep short sellers at bay. Data suggest short sellers remain active with Tesla despite rising borrow fees. Investors looking to play a potential short-covering...

After surging more than 64 percent last year to rank as one of 2017's best-performing non-leveraged exchange-traded funds, the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (NYSE: LIT) is down more than 8 percent year-to-date. The $1 billion LIT follows the Solactive Global Lithium Index and “...

History is repeating itself in the oil market — at least its short-term history. Daniel Yergin, IHS Markit vice chairman, was a guest on CNBC's "Squawk Box" and offered two reasons to explain why oil prices are "back to the past." First, oil inventories are now 10 percent higher than it was...

The U.K. has officially begun its divorce proceedings, with Prime Minister Theresa May officially notifying the European Council President Donald Tusk of the nation's intention to leave the union under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty. The U.K. is set to begin negotiations with the other EU...

Every trader has seen a stock or two that seems way overpriced. Stocks that are modestly overpriced should probably just be avoided, but when a stock seems grossly overpriced there is a profit to be made by short selling. Unfortunately, aside from the other risks associated with short selling, it...