High Volume ETFs On The Cutline – Updated Through 4/27/2011

Ulli ETFs on the Cutline Contact

Here’s the latest update of the High Volume only ETFs, which are hovering slightly below and above their cutline (trend line). High Volume (HV) ETFs are defined as those with an average daily volume of $10 million or higher.

These ETFs are generated from my selected list of 90 that I use in my advisor practice. It cuts out the “noise,” which simply means it eliminates those ETFs that I would never buy because of their volume limitations.

Short ETFs are not yet included but will be at some point. Take a look at the table:

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ETF Portfolio Tables Fixed

Ulli Model ETF Portfolios Contact

When I changed blogging platforms a few weeks ago, I did not realize that the feature of clicking on tables and charts to enlarge them for better viewing and printing had not been set up.

This has been fixed as of today and will be available from here on forward. Unfortunately, the program does not go back and change previous posts; it will need to be done one at a time, and I hope to get the most crucial ones adjusted as time goes on.

Can You Really Afford A Commission-Free ETF?

Ulli Low Cost ETFs Contact

Sure, we all like things for free, especially when it comes to investing. But is FREE always the best way to go when it comes to the purchase of ETFs? The WSJ (subscription required) had some thoughts on the matter in “The Limits of Free:”

“Free” is a hard word to resist.

That’s what five big investment houses were counting on when they rolled out exchange-traded funds without trading commissions.

But whether investors should take the no-commission route is by no means a no-brainer.

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5 ETF Model Portfolios You Can Use – Updated through 4/26/2011

Ulli Model ETF Portfolios Contact

It was up, up and away as far as our model portfolios was concerned with the worst one “only” gaining 2% during the past 4 trading days. Especially the income portfolio rocketed higher by gaining over 3%. Obviously, there is no guarantee that this will continue but, right now, the ETF Income portfolio is clearly in tune with market momentum.

Again, there is no right or wrong, or better or worse, when it comes to portfolios; the only thing that matters is what’s appropriate for your particular circumstances.

Let’s take a look at the first one:

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Getting High On Silver ETFs

Ulli Silver ETFs Contact

Silver ETFs have been the hot ticket item outperforming just about any other investment with put and call options setting a single-day volume record yesterday, according the WSJ (subscription required):

Silver stole the show in the options market Monday, as traders hoping to profit from the metal’s gains helped set a new single-day volume record in “puts” and “calls” for iShares Silver Trust.

Silver’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric, with investors piling into the futures market, the silver exchange-traded fund and other vehicles. They have flocked to the metal in lieu of currencies, to build inflation hedges or to avoid spending money on pricier gold. With Monday’s gains, the price of silver has risen more than 52% this year. The ETF finished 30 cents higher, or 0.7%, at $45.83, after jumping as much as 3.2% earlier in the session.

Market participants said the latest options rush was driven by speculative money attracted to silver’s volatile price movement, and also by investors who are reluctant to hold big positions in silver futures or in the ETF itself but still want to profit. In choosing options instead of the underlying instruments, traders have the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell the underlying shares.

“It’s very challenging to step in front of this,” said Michael Khouw,

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Mutual Funds On The Cutline – Updated as of 4/25/2011

Ulli Mutual Funds On The Cutline Contact

Here’s the latest update, which includes the Cutline pricing information after a week of market gains. Not surprising, equity funds showed strong upward momentum over the past few trading days:

RYAZX (small value) moved from -15 to +3

FAIRX (mid-cap blend) moved from -14 to +4

FSAGX (gold) moved from -2 to +14

In the bond area, we saw the following changes:

OIBAX (world bond) moved from +3 to +17

BEGBX (world bond) moved from -1 to +20

Form the above, only bond funds are currently showing positive momentum numbers across the board, but the DD% figures are not enticing at this time.

Let’s take a look at the latest cut line table for mutual funds:

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