Weekly StatSheet For The ETF/No Load Fund Tracker Newsletter – Updated Through 05/23/2013

Ulli ETF StatSheet Contact

ETF/Mutual Fund Data updated through Thursday, May 23, 2013

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If you are not familiar with some of the terminology used, please see the Glossary of Terms.

 

1. DOMESTIC EQUITY MUTUAL FUNDS/ETFs: BUY — since 10/25/2011

TTI

The domestic TTI broke through its long-term trend line generating a Sell for this area effective 8/9/2011. Over the recent past, we’ve seen the TTI hovering slightly below and above this dividing line between bullish and bearish territory. The clear break to the upside occurred on 10/24/11 and, effective 10/25/11, a new Buy signal for domestic equities went into effect.

As of today, our Trend Tracking Index (TTI—green line in above chart) has bounced off its long term trend line (red) by +4.28% as part of the post election rebound.

To avoid a potential whip-saw, a Sell signal to move out of all domestic equity positions will be generated once we have clearly pierced the line to the downside. Be sure to tune into my blog for the latest updates.

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Stimulus Speculation Leads Equities Lower—Nikkei Does A Swan Dive

Ulli Market Commentary Contact

Thur pic

[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com]

U.S. equities fought off early pressure but retreated at the end, giving benchmark indexes their first back-to-back drops in one month. The exacerbated concerns over the possible scaling back of asset purchases by the Federal Reserve along with disappointing Chinese manufacturing data were just too much to overcome.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 12 points (0.1%) to 15,295, the S&P 500 Index declined 5 points (0.3%) to 1,651, and the Nasdaq Composite descended 4 points (0.1%) to 3,459.

All ten sectors of the S&P 500 began the session with sharp losses before the daylong rebound helped some groups return to yesterday’s closing levels. The Index opened with a loss of 1.2% after Japan’s Nikkei tumbled 7.3%, largest drop since the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake and Tsunami. What caused that swan dive?

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Did The Fed Just Kick-Off The Pullback?

Ulli Market Commentary Contact

Wed chart

[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com]

US equity markets staged a harsh downside reversal Wednesday and closed the trading day lower in the wake of the remarks from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and minutes from the recent policymakers meeting that sparked fears of less easing in the near future.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 80 points (0.5%) to 15,307, the S&P 500 Index declined 14 points (0.8%) to 1,655 after early strength turned into afternoon weakness, and the Nasdaq Composite descended 39 points (1.1%) to 3,463. Those indexes had been up as much as 1.1%, 1.1% and 0.9%, respectively – new highs for all – before reversing. Volume swelled 25% on the Nasdaq and 34% on the NYSE.

All 10 industries in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index declined. The utilities and telecom sectors led to the downside as traders continued to dump income-oriented names. Including today’s 1.6% decline, the utilities sector is down 5.0% month-to-date. Elsewhere, the energy space lost 1.2% as crude oil declined 2.1%. The energy component ended at $94.18 per barrel, and weighed on the growth-sensitive sector.

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7 ETF Model Portfolios You Can Use – Updated through 5/21/2013

Ulli Model ETF Portfolios Contact

The pace of upward momentum definitely slowed last week, but the major averages managed to eke out a gain nonetheless with the S&P 500 adding some 1.2%.

On the bearish side, the precious metals continued their wild ride to the downside, interrupted by short violent rebounds, which did not have enough strength to reestablish the bullish tendencies of the past as gold remains solidly stuck below its long term trend line.

As a result, any portfolios containing metals have been lagging this year along with bond ETFs, which have been meandering aimlessly through the past few months with some of them showing slight gains while others are sporting minor losses. So far, this has been the year of equities with some of the low volatility ETFs outperforming the S&P 500.

Here’s the latest ETF Model Portfolio update:

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Stocks Defend Gains Ahead Of Fed’s Outlook

Ulli Market Commentary Contact

Tue pic

[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com]

Another record day as the Dow and the S&P 500 closed at new all-time highs. Markets got a leg up due to stronger-than-expected earnings and guidance from Dow member Home Depot, and further amplified by comments from two Federal Reserve officials that suggested that the Central Bank hasn’t yet set a course to taper its bond-buying initiatives.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 53 points (0.3%) to 15,388 to register its 19th consecutive Tuesday of gains, the S&P 500 Index gained 3 points (0.2%) to 1,669, and the Nasdaq Composite added 6 points (0.2%) to 3,502.

The major averages saw little change during morning action, but afternoon buying interest helped lift the indices to session highs. Most cyclical sectors (with the exception of materials and technology) finished among the leaders, but the defensively-geared health care sector settled atop the leader board as biotechnology outperformed. The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF advanced 1.0%, and prevented the Nasdaq from falling too far behind the other two indices as technology displayed relative weakness.

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Index ETFs Back Off Slightly On Lack Of News And Direction

Ulli Market Commentary Contact

Mon pic

[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com]

The markets started the week lower, by and large there just wasn’t a lot of conviction on the part of either buyers or sellers. Amid a dormant economic calendar, stocks spent time on both sides of the flat line, but never put a whole lot of distance between themselves and that point for most of the day; only to limp to a soft close after ceding small gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 19 points (0.1%) to 15,335, the S&P 500 Index declined 1 point (0.1%) to 1,666, after climbing four straight weeks, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 3 points (0.1%) to 3,496. Energy stocks were the day’s top gainers in the S&P 500 while consumer staples were the biggest underperformers. The S&P energy sector index rose 1.3 percent. In contrast, the S&P consumer staples index fell 1 percent.

The lack of conviction was owed in part to a lack of stirring catalysts. Presumably, some hesitation ahead of Fed Chairman Bernanke’s testimony before Congress on Wednesday about the economic outlook played a part in today’s mixed market. The consensus on the Street believes the Fed is more likely to begin tapering its bond purchases later this year…

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