Reader Tad had some interesting comments recently. Among other things he said: One day, soon, I would like to see a blog from you on “what happens when we default on our debt”. Or, with the US dollar close to what could be freefall, “what happens if it does go into freefall” and what would you advise in the way …
No Load Fund/ETF Tracker updated through 8/27/2009
My latest No Load Fund/ETF Tracker has been posted at:http://www.successful-investment.com/newsletter-archive.phpWith an apparent floor and a ceiling firmly in place, the major indexes meandered around the unchanged line, but closed slightly higher. Our Trend Tracking Index (TTI) for domestic funds/ETFs has now crossed its trend line (red) to the upside by +6.42% keeping the current buy signal intact. The effective date …
The Hidden Costs Of ETFs
The Wall Street Journal featured an interesting piece titled “For some Investors, Night of Living ETF.” Here are some highlights: Low costs are a selling point for the exchange-traded-fund industry. But more than a quarter of the ETFs on the market are hitting shareholders with high trading costs that escape many investors’ notice. These ETFs typically have relatively few assets …
Bernanke To The Rescue
The markets bobbed and weaved a bit yesterday but Fed chairman Bernanke’s nomination for a second term cheered traders, who are now looking for more economic stability and growth. I must be one of the few who is not impressed by Bernanke’s resume, especially due to the fact that he never saw the housing bubble and subsequent recession coming, but …
Running Out Of Stimulus
An early rally fizzled yesterday as the markets realized that two stimulus programs are coming to an end. The “Cash for Clunkers” program ended late Monday while the “Cash for Shelter” plan is still scheduled to run until November 30th. That program provides tax credits for home purchases. Of course, stimulus is nothing more than robbing Peter to pay Paul, …
More On Leveraged ETFs
I found this abstract on leveraged ETFs: Leveraged and inverse Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) have attracted significant assets lately. Unlike traditional ETFs, these funds have “leverage” explicitly embedded as part of their product design. While these funds are primarily used by short-term traders, they are gaining popularity with individual investors placing leveraged bets or hedging their portfolios. The structure of these …