Alternative ETFs

The Buyback ETF that Crushes the Market Year After Year

February 5, 2013

With interest rates at record lows, corporate cash balances at record highs, and tax policy visibility as low as it could ever be, corporate spending on buybacks came in 50% higher in 2012 than the average in the preceding decade. The turn towards buybacks is clear; how it will affect total returns isn’t as certain. […]

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Searching for the Best MLP ETF

January 13, 2013

Master limited partnerships are one of the fastest growing investments on Wall Street. Oil and gas companies divest high cost assets with MLP issues while investors find MLPs attractive for their high yields and tax benefits. Investors who favor sector ETFs as a way to get broad exposure have plenty of choice in master limited […]

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IPO ETF Delivers Stellar Returns Despite Several IPO Flops

December 23, 2012

Despite well-known IPO disasters like Facebook (FB), the First Trust IPOX Index ETF (FPX) was the best performing of all strategy ETFs in 2012, delivering returns 8% higher than the S&P 500 after dividends. The ETF continues to test the idea that IPOs are much better for the business than they are investors. While the […]

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Merger Arbitrage ETFs Just Got Better

December 16, 2012

The deals space is heating up – one analyst says to expect a $20 billion merger in 2013 – as companies think about how to use cash balances and low interest rates to their advantage. For investors, the question is how can one use this knowledge to make a profit. Fund managers think merger arbitrage […]

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Low Volatility ETFs: Same Returns with Less Worry

December 9, 2012

If 2012 was the year of the dividend ETF, 2013 may be the year of the low volatility ETF.  The dividend play may be a bit skewed going into 2013 due to so many special dividends (here are a few special dividend announcements) being paid prior to year-end and a possible exodus from dividend payers […]

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ETF Spotlight: PureFunds ISE Mining Service ETF (MSXX)

December 2, 2012

FactorShares, a company better known for exotic funds tracking the spreads between dissimilar asset classes (gold and stocks, for example), has launched a new fund tracking the mining service space. The new fund offers a new way to get exposure to a popular asset class – gold and silver bullion – by investing in companies […]

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Utility ETFs Offer Intriguing Opportunity

November 25, 2012

Utility companies are back in the headlines as investors reconsider their preference for dividend-paying equities with uncertain tax policy coming in 2012. Key utility sector indexes are off more than 6% in the last month while forward yields look compelling for conservative investors. Tax Concerns are Overblown Investors traditionally value utilities on a dividend discount […]

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Spin-Off ETF Continues Index Beating Performance

October 28, 2012

Special events are some of the best sources for high returns. This year and throughout its history, the Claymore/Beacon Spin-Off ETF (CSD) is proving that it can deliver stellar investment returns by following an events-driven strategy. ETFBase first profiled CSD in 2009. The fund tracks a proprietary index from Beacon indexes. The index ranks spin-offs […]

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Capitalize on Bond Market Inefficiency with These ETFs

September 30, 2012

The rise of the exchange-traded fund has forever changed the financial markets. With the click of a button, investors can now buy and sell hundreds of holdings with a single instrument. Long-term investors can buy established index portfolios for only a few basis points per year in expenses. And ETFs have significantly improved liquidity in […]

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