ETFS

The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease. ― Voltaire At first glance, Tekla World Healthcare Fund (THW) looks like a solid dividend bet because it has been paying dividends consistently since inception and it sports an attractive dividend yield of 9.57% (as of August 5, 2020). The second

Global economic trends continue to be the dominant influencer in currency markets, and the Invesco CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust (NYSEARCA:FXA) has gained 24.3% since hitting its lows in March 2020. In part, this move has been fueled by recent monetary policy decisions from the Reserve Bank of Australia that managed to maintain interest rate levels

When the stock market’s push toward (or past) all-time highs does not seem consistent with a weakened global economy, fear sets in. While history suggests that staying out of equities altogether is a bad idea over the long term, it’s understandable that many investors might want to take a more defensive stance in the current

If Japan – where experts fear a debt and deficit disaster – is Britain’s future, there is much to fear. – Philip Aldrick Earlier this week, I had highlighted on the Lead-Lag report how emerging markets (VWO) had managed to fare better than developed markets (VEA) in 2020 and why this may likely continue, as

The VanEck Vectors® Real Asset Allocation ETF (RAAX®) uses a data-driven, rules-based process that leverages over 50 indicators (technical, macroeconomic and fundamental, commodity price, and sentiment) to allocate across 12 individual real asset segments in five broad real asset sectors. These objective indicators identify the segments with positive expected returns. Then, using correlation and volatility,

As you can see in the following chart, it’s been a trying month for shareholders of the ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (UVXY) with prices nearing some of the lowest levels seen since March. It is my belief that this downtrend in price is going to continue. Specifically, I believe that overall bullishness in

The non-agency MBS sector has gone through a roller-coaster ride in the last few months due to heavy sell-downs by leveraged players and a subsequent snapback in demand by value hunters. We remain overweight the sector on the service due to continued sector demand, fiscal support of households and a decent housing price backdrop. In

As can be seen in the following chart, the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) has been in for a turbulent year with shares continuing to shred value. While these losses have been substantial, I believe that we are at an inflection point in the fundamental data. Specifically, I believe that both fundamental and technical

The money market funds asset group set a record for net inflows (+$259.8 billion) for the third consecutive week as the economic impact of the coronavirus continued to wreak havoc on investing. Conversely, taxable bond funds (-$62 billion) and municipal bond funds (-$13.7 billion) each had record-setting net outflows for the second consecutive week, while

Question: Why are there so many ETFs? Answer: ETF providers tend to make lots of money on each ETF so they create more products to sell. The large number of ETFs has little to do with serving your best interests. We leverage our data to identify three red flags you can use to avoid the

(Pexels) As I’ve discussed in recent articles, the main area where I see buying opportunities today is not stocks; it is commodities. Most are at a decade if not multi-decade lows and are at a 40%+ discount to their price just weeks ago. The U.S. is about to launch a $2T stimulus package, not to

In this article, we examine the significant weekly order flow and market structure developments driving XLK price action. The highest probability path for this week was for price discovery higher, barring buy-side failure at key support, 82s-83s. This primary expectation did not play out as a gap lower open developed in Monday’s trade, driving price

The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP), which is one of the largest energy ETFs, has been under a lot of pressure this year, thanks to the plunge in oil prices, and the fund’s future is looking challenging. The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF’s portfolio consists primarily

Thesis Summary The Vanguard S&P 500 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:VOOG) offers a variety of quality, blue-chip stocks that are sure to bounce once the market has bottomed. With large exposure to the technology and communication sectors, the fund will likely offer great returns in the coming years. Consider scaling into this fund as stocks find a

Main Thesis The purpose of this article is to evaluate the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) as an investment option at its current market price. I have recommended, and owned, SPYD for a long time, but recent market action has altered my opinion on the fund. The fund’s poor performance indicates it

ETF Overview Invesco Dynamic Semiconductors ETF (PSI) owns a portfolio of large-cap semiconductor stocks. The fund seeks to track the investment results of the Dynamic Semiconductor Intellidex Index. Stocks in PSI’s portfolio should continue to enjoy favorable industry fundamental as the semiconductor industry is set to grow at a rate of 7.67% annually through 2024.

(This article was published to members of Yield Hunting on March 12th. All data herein is from that date. We have recently updated this analysis for members.) The down move in the markets definitely shows how funds are positioned and how they will react to a ‘liquidity crisis’. The data herein is through Thursday March

The coronavirus fallout turned catastrophic in a fast and furious fashion, as President Trump announced U.S. travel ban from Europe soon after the Covid-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the WHO. Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Fund (VNQI) could not escape the wrath of the bloodbath with a devastating -20% year-to-date performance, though has outperformed

Lipper’s fund asset groups (including both mutual funds and exchange-traded funds) took in $70.4 billion of net new money for the fund-flows trading week ended Wednesday, March 11. Money market funds (+$87.6 billion) were responsible for all of the week’s net inflows as investors parked a significant amount of money on the sidelines, driven by

I’ve been looking for closed-end fund bargains amidst the recent carnage. Buying cheap assets is great, but finding a double discount is even better. One fund that recently came to my attention is the NexPoint Strategic Opportunities Fund (NYSE:NHF). NHF has traded at a chronic discount, and it recently became more severe. The current NAV

If you were lucky enough to have purchased the VelocityShares 3x Inverse Crude Oil ETN (DWT) at the beginning of this year, then it’s been a great way to start off 2020. In line with a drop in WTI of near-historical proportions, DWT has rallied by around 270%, delivering astounding returns to investors. While these

Thesis Summary The Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) can be used to gain exposure to equity markets outside of the U.S. Diversifying your portfolio is especially useful during a correction. Having said this, upon further analysis of the fund, we believe there are better alternatives out there to help investors balance out their portfolios.

ETF Overview Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (NASDAQ:VXUS) invests in international large-cap and giant-cap stocks. The ETF tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index, which includes over 7,000 stocks. These are quality large-cap or giant-cap stocks that have been through numerous economic cycles. However, the fund has a higher exposure to slower growth

ETF Overview iShares Global Healthcare ETF (NYSEARCA:IXJ) owns a portfolio of large-cap healthcare stocks in the world. The ETF tracks the investment results of the S&P Global 1200 Health Care Index. Stocks in IXJ’s portfolio should benefit from an ageing population in the world in the next few decades. In addition, these stocks will also

Main Thesis The purpose of this article is to evaluate the iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) as an investment option at its current market price. While I was optimistic on British equities heading in to 2020, EWU has been under pressure since mid-January. The recent election provided some clarity on Brexit, but negotiations continue

The Mid Cap Blend style ranks fifth out of the 12 fund styles as detailed in our Q1’20 Style Ratings for ETFs and Mutual Funds report. Last quarter, the Mid Cap Blend style ranked sixth. It gets our Neutral rating, which is based on an aggregation of ratings of 19 ETFs and 364 mutual funds

ETF Overview The Vanguard Industrials ETF (NYSEARCA:VIS) owns a portfolio of U.S. industrial stocks. The ETF basically tracks the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Industrials 25/50 Index. The fund has delivered an excellent 257% total return in the past 10 years. Stocks in VIS’s portfolio are those with competitive advantages. While we are

The Large Cap Value style ranks second out of the 12 fund styles as detailed in our Q1’20 Style Ratings for ETFs and Mutual Funds report. Last quarter, the Large Cap Value style ranked second as well. It gets our Attractive rating, which is based on an aggregation of ratings of 67 ETFs and 855

On a year-to-date basis, the oil bears trading the ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Crude Oil ETF (SCO) have received a strong return of nearly 60% in conjunction with a drop in the price of oil. While this return has certainly been a benefit to holders of the shares, I believe that this run is nearly over.

Main Thesis The purpose of this article is to evaluate the VanEck Vectors High-Yield Municipal Index ETF (HYD) as an investment option at its current market price. With equity losses rattling investor sentiment right now, I felt it was timely to do an updated review of HYD, which holds high yield muni bonds. This is