“ETF Thoughts” Article Archive

If you've read my other posts about commodity exchange traded funds (ETFs) you'll know that they make up part of my portfolio. My reasoning behind these holdings is the benefit of diversification offered by returns that are, in theory, uncorrelated to other asset classes. The Economist says this might be bunk. Read the rest of this entry »

According to a report by the Investment Company Institute, the combined assets of all US-based exchange traded funds (ETFs) exceeded $336 billion. For anyone that thinks ETFs are a passing fad, this number should change their minds. Read the rest of this entry »

If you've done any searching on the web for exchange traded fund (ETF) information, you've undoubtedly come across many sites and many opinions. Maybe you even found this site from a search at Google, Yahoo, or one of the other search engines. I too often look for alternative views. It's not prudent to live in a bubble of your own making. Read the rest of this entry »

If you're reading this, you undoubtedly invest in the stock market. Like me, you've probably been doing a lot of hang wringing lately as markets around the world have been shedding billions seemingly every day. Read the rest of this entry »

If you're an old time exchange traded fund (ETF) investor, you've probably been witness to fairly significant declines in various sectors of the stock market. Typically, such declines trigger selling across the board which of course exacerbates the decline. What do you do under such situations? Read the rest of this entry »

Every now and again the debate of equal-weight vs. market capitalization-weight ETFs (exchange traded funds) takes center stage. Depending on who you talk to, one is often cited as being better than the other. I disagree. Both styles provide different investments. So maybe one is better for YOU, but there isn't one style that is better for EVERYONE. Read the rest of this entry »

Years ago I thought I could time the market. I'm not sure what it is about people that makes them think they know something everyone else doesn't. It's a curious thing, but I guess that's part of what makes the stock market interesting. Read the rest of this entry »

I have to admit that I can't resist checking out the history of any ETF that I buy. But my decision to buy an ETF is rarely influenced by historical prices. At most I may pick up some new shares during a dip if I also happen to need to do some rebalancing. Read the rest of this entry »

Greg Newton wrote an interesting piece recently about using an ETF to hedge your gas consumption. Read the rest of this entry »

I generally favor Barclays' ETF (exchange traded funds) offerings over others both in my portfolio and in my postings on this site. My reasons for this are quite simple. Read the rest of this entry »

I write a lot about Barclays Global Investors on this site. That's because they're the largest provider of exchange traded funds (ETFs). They also offer a diversified collection that comes very close to providing access to all the asset classes I'm interested in. Read the rest of this entry »

Asking what the best exchange traded funds (ETFs) are is the wrong way to approach the subject. There is no single ETF that suits everyone for all situations. Although there are investment managers that offer portfolio building services by using ETFs. But what would be the point in paying someone to go out and buy ETFs when you could do it yourself? Read the rest of this entry »

Recently over at Unauthorized Participant there was a discussion of the difference between exchange traded funds (ETFs) and closed-end funds (CEFs). A couple of years ago I was looking in to this matter myself. I knew they were different, but at the time I didn't know how. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wonder how ETF share prices remain in line with the current prices of the underlying stocks? The process is quite simple really although the execution might be quite complex. Read the rest of this entry »

The MotleyFool.com site is run by investors and promotes itself as being THE source of information for the individual investor. I used to read the articles religiously. But after a year or two, I started to notice that the articles were all the same with one stock symbol swapped out for another. Read the rest of this entry »

Generally you want to avoid any investment tips that start off with "getting around…" But this time, I think you should pay attention. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the often cited advantages of exchange traded funds (ETFs) over mutual funds is that you can buy and sell them whenever the market is open. Still, most investors, in my opinion, would be better off not engaging in day trading with ETFs. Read the rest of this entry »

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are generally considered to be tax efficient. Unlike traditional mutual funds that are actively managed, ETFs don't involve a lot of reshuffling throughout the year. With constant selling, ETFs are less likely to trigger capital gains taxes until you, the shareholder, actually sell your shares. Read the rest of this entry »

I spent 6 weeks in the first quarter of 2006 rebalancing my investment allocations so that my holdings would be inline with my targets. The idea of rebalancing once or twice a year is now a generally accepted tactic among many investment professionals and it seems to make sense to me. Also, from what I've seen, even 401K plans allow contributors to easily rebalance their portfolio adding more legitimacy to the practice. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the first edition of the Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Carnival. Read the rest of this entry »

There's a lot of good investing content out on the web be it in the form of traditional articles or on blogs. Today, I look at two fairly recent commentaries that I've found to be very informative. Read the rest of this entry »

I'm taking my first step in to the world of blog carnivals. What is a blog carnival, you ask? Here's the official description from Blog Carnival. Read the rest of this entry »

Tom Lydon manages $65 million dollars. In my books that makes him a smart guy. I have no doubts that anyone who can get others to pony up that amount of money must know a thing or two about making money in the stock marketing. Read the rest of this entry »

Apparently marketing is a live and well even in the world of exchange traded funds (ETFs). Aside from the typical advertising you might come across on TV, in a newspaper, or on the web, ETF providers are purposefully targeting specific ticker symbols for that little extra name recognition. Read the rest of this entry »