Gold is Out – Is the Fear Trade Over?

April 14, 2013

This week gold entered bear market territory, plunging by more than 20% from the market highs set in 2011. Gold also lost its correlation to equities, seeing as the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) is off by 10% while equities, as measured by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), are up 12%. Is the gold rush […]

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Japanese Stocks are In Play: Should You Follow?

April 8, 2013

The Bank of Japan is engaged in the most aggressive quantitative easing in the world (here’s what happened previously to ETFs that went wild following US QE Announcements). If you thought Ben Bernanke’s asset purchases were something, you’ll see the Bank of Japan as a lunatic. After the election of Shinzo Abe, investors moved boatloads […]

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The 4% Rule is Dead, but these ETFs Might Help

March 31, 2013

The days of consistent 4% annual withdrawals from a retirement fund are long gone. A paper from Morningstar rejects the idea that anyone can pull 4% per year from their retirement balance with any confidence.  Overconfidence is common, but not prudent. Here’s the skinny: Low rates crush income potential – At the time the 4% […]

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Are Global Markets Due for a Correction?

March 26, 2013

Now that we’re a few years into a bull market and these cycles don’t last forever, many investors are considering alternatives to the equities, commodities and real estate plays that have performed so well over the past few years.  Here are a few trends we’re seeing in the European region specifically that may give investors […]

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Why Transportation ETFs Should be a Core Portfolio Holding

March 24, 2013

Transportation has all the makings of an excellent business. It’s a consolidated industry with a product that is necessary for day to day life on planet Earth. While it isn’t very exciting as a business model, over the long term the transportation sector has rewarded investors with spectacular returns. It’s also extraordinarily cyclical. As anyone […]

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Pros and Cons of Active Trading

March 21, 2013

Volumes have been written on the topics of both “beating the market” and individual investing, but also on passive strategies.  In my view, over the long haul, it’s much more important to get money INTO your investment accounts and put it to work compared to whether you can beat the market or not.  But once […]

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Finding the Best Exposure in Homebuilding ETFs

March 18, 2013

Homebuilding ETFs are making it much too easy for new investors to make the biggest mistake of them all: taking an ETF’s name at face value. While there are three ETFs that claim to give investors to homebuilding, the stocks these funds hold and the proportions in which they hold them varies dramatically: SPDR Homebuilders […]

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Buy Falling Angels for Higher Yields

March 10, 2013

Market Vectors thinks that the best way to get ahead in the bond market is with the “Falling Angels,” bonds that have fallen from investment grade to below investment grade. Over time, companies that have moved from investment grade to junk have given their debt investors higher returns. Market Vectors has a new fund for […]

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Here’s Why Vanguard’s Dividend Growth ETF is a Top Pick

March 3, 2013

Dividend stocks are hot with investors who realize that most historical stock market gains have come from dividends. The role of dividends in investment performance does not go unnoticed. Dividends also have a few other advantages for the investor: They serve as a guide for earnings quality. Many companies generate only accrual earnings, rarely generating […]

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