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Saturday, April 26, 2008
Weekend News and Views Roundup
- Can Actively Managed ETFs Beat the Market?
- "The actively managed exchange traded fund (ETF) doesn't seem to be turning any heads. After all, we've heard it all before. First, actively managed mutual funds can be the market. Then, hedge funds can beat the market. And now, ETFs are up to bat."
- Morningstar: Declines In Mutual Fund Expense Ratios Have Slowed « Main Street Investor
- "Mutual fund investors have enjoyed declining expense ratios since 2003, but according to an article from Morningstar, the declines in expense ratios is slowing and may even begin rising again in the next few years."
- real estate mutual fund guidelines are out! « Subramoney
- "The long awaited Mutual fund guidelines are here at last. However it is still very sketchy and full details are awaited..."
- The Wall Street Bully — insights into no load mutual fund/etf investing: No Load Fund/ETF Tracker updated
- "Bulls and bears engaged in a tug-of-war with the bulls coming out ahead for the week by a slight margin."
- The Investor's Dilemma: Picking Mutual Funds
- "Lowenstein actually believes there is a tiny handful of true value funds that render obsolete the Efficient Market Hypothesis -- evidently he agrees that MOST actively managed mutual funds don't beat the indexes but that there is a way to choose A TINY ELITE of actively managed gems and beat the indexes."
- Investor's Business Daily: Fund Likes To See Pedal To The Metal
- "David Hollond and Greg Walsh have a need for speed. The pair, co-managers of American Century Heritage Fund and American Century Giftrust, focus on one trait when adding to their portfolio. It's not the traditional, steady corporate uptick some growth funds seek. "We want acceleration..."
- Nasdaq 100 ETF hits 3-month high, boosted by gains in Apple, Qualcomm shares - Forbes.com
- "The Powershares QQQ Trust, a tracking stock for the Nasdaq 100, rallied to a 3-month high, with all of 10 most-heavily weighted components trading higher."
- Mutual Fund Industry Losing Investor Trust; Book Might Make You Ponder ETFs Instead - OnlineTradersForum.com
- "Investors who haven't yet discovered or considered exchange traded funds (ETFs) might be inclined to after checking out a new book that performs a scathing examination of the mutual fund industry."
- What Do Expense Ratios Have To Do With It? | ETF Trends
- "There are big discrepancies between assets and revenues, as analysts point out, but do expense ratios really matter to investors when it comest to investing with exchange traded funds (ETFs)?"
- Sox First: Mutual funds and climate change
- "A new report by Ceres, Mutual Funds and Climate Change, has found that mutual funds are starting to [take] more notice of climate change."
- ETF Guide: ETF Round-Up: What’s Hot! What’s Not! And What To Stay Away From?
- "There is little traction from any specific sector. As a sector rallies, profits are taken. ETFs are a leading indicator for the broader market and as such they might be signaling trouble ahead."
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Funds News and Views
- 4 Funds That Keep Taxes Low - US News and World Report
- "...for those with taxable accounts, here are four types of funds that help keep taxes to a minimum:"
- Tax Efficiency of Index Funds
- "The Bogleheads Guide to Investing cites a study by Charles Schwab that found that for the 30-year period from 1963 to 1992, $1 invested in U.S. equities would have grown to $21.89 in a tax-deferred account but only to $9.87 in a taxable account for a taxpayer in a high tax bracket."
- Frequently Asked Mutual Fund Questions
- "Below we present some of the most popular questions about mutual funds along with some short answers to the questions."
- Co-op America Targets 10 of the Largest U.S. Mutual Fund Families for Failing to Take Action on Climate Change
- "In the wake of a new report by Ceres on the still weak track record of U.S. mutual funds on climate-related shareholder resolutions, Co-op America is urging tens of thousands of Americans to contact 10 of the nation's largest mutual funds to do more on global warming."
- How Now, Charles Dow? - Seeking Alpha
- "Charles Dow didn’t have a sophisticated trading vehicle like ETFs in his day, but modern day followers of Dow Theory can use ETFs to go both long and short when following Dow Theory."
- Faith and money - Faith-based mutual funds - CNNMoney.com
- "You may be surprised to learn though that religion has a place on Wall Street as well. There are about 50 Catholic, Protestant, and Islamic-based mutual funds with assets totaling around $17 billion."
- Many Exchange-Traded Funds are Not All They’re Cracked Up to Be - Consumerism Commentary: A Personal Finance Blog
- "According to Money Magazine, Wall Street is taking advantage of the popularity and frugal reputation of ETFs by creating an increasing number of these investments with higher turnover and fees."
- Survey Says! Financial Advisors Love ETFs | ETF Trends
- "A survey by Charles Schwab Institutional confirmed it: financial advisors are digging exchange traded funds (ETFs)."
- Best Debt Mutual Funds - Ask Value Research - Value Research Online
- "If you are a long term investor and wish to invest in debt funds, opt for some five or four star rated debt funds."
- You Can Get The Whole World In One Fund - WSJ.com
- "Index investors can now hold the whole world in a single fund."
- Mutual Fund Terms: Understanding The Lingo Of Mutual Funds | Global Finance
- "Before you throw your hands up in the air in frustration because you cannot seem to figure out what all the mutual fund terms mean, let us go through some of the most common used mutual fund terms."
- ETF Guide: Financial Advisor and Investment Guide for Exchange Traded Funds
- "Claymore launched the first ever Solar ETF, the Claymore/MAC Global Solar Energy ETF (Ticker: TAN)."
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Funds News Weekend Roundup
- FinanceProfessor.com: Closet Indexing By Mutual Funds: Worse Than We Thought? - Seeking Alpha
- "Seeking Alpha: '...it is extraordinary how many traditional long-only mutual funds hold ETFs, either to equitize their cash or to get the market return and then just layer on fees. You may not see the ETFs held during the reporting periods, but certainly inside those periods.'"
- Small Caps Show Signs of Life in March (Intrepid Small...
- "After a surprisingly strong March, small stocks are defying the naysayers enough to look on the brink of a rebound."
- Is The Correction In Commodities Over?
- "Sally Limantour writing for Taipan publishing group has it right: 'The big picture has not changed... demand issues are pressing and widespread... In the macro picture, we still have the incredible growth stories of China, India, Brazil and Russia.'"
- Mutual fund and ETF performance, analysis and more --...
- "Investors were certainly happy to see the end of a brutal quarter for stocks, but if you follow any of the Lazy Portfolios that columnist Paul B. Farrell has championed, you were glad for the right reasons."
- Real Estate Funds Have Surprise Success | Mutual Fund Investing | DXDSX DXQSX DXRSX RYVTX UIPIX UKPIX - TheStreet.com
- "In terms of average returns in each category of stock mutual funds for the first quarter of 2008, precious metals came out on top. The surprise was real estate funds."
- Exotic Emerging Markets Lure Intrepid Investors (T. Rowe Price Africa & Middle East, SPDR Emerging Europe, SPDR Emerging Asia fund, iShares Malaysia, iShares Latin America, iShares Turkey, iShares Israel, American Funds New World) at SmartMoney.com
- "...focus on so-called frontier markets like the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Persian Gulf. Considered way too risky to invest in just a few years ago, these regions are now embracing capitalism and the global economy."
- Comfort Zone Investing: Everyone can use mutual funds - BloggingStocks
- "...sectors such as commodities, biotech, technology, any of the highly specialized groups, pretty much demand constant attention or expertise to make solid investment decisions. If you don't have the time or the knowledge, the specialized funds do."
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Funds News Weekend Update
- Investors shun foreign mutual funds -- chicagotribune.com
- "Investors weary of dreary news about the United States economy and financial markets haven't been in the mood to risk surprises in distant lands."
- ETF Assets Decline by $9.41 Billion
- "According to the Investment Company Institute (ICI), the combined assets of U.S. exchange-traded funds (ETFs) declined by $9.41 billion to $559.31 billion in February."
- Asset mix makes mutual funds attractive - newsobserver.com
- "The typical stock mutual fund holds stock of 25 to 100 companies. Most advisers recommend that an investor hold at least10 mutual funds that, if selected properly, will produce a portfolio consisting of more than 250 stocks. This diversification can be achieved at a relatively low cost and with a fairly small amount of money."
- First-Quarter Mutual Funds Update - Forbes.com
- "According to Lipper, a New York company that tracks mutual fund performance, U.S. and world equity funds both lost an average 10% in the first quarter."
- The Long Road: No-Commission ETF Trading Proving Popular
- "The old adage that exchange-traded funds aren't wise investments if you're dollar-cost averaging or making small purchases just isn't true anymore. In the past year and a half, at least three major brokerages have started offering no-commission trades. That basically shoots down the biggest rap on ETFs over index mutual funds."
- Vanguard Files For All-World Fund And ETF
- "Last week, Barclays Global Investors (BGI) launched the first all-world equity index ETF in the U.S. Now, everybody wants in on the game. Vanguard said today that it has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to launch the Vanguard Global Stock Index Fund."
- ETFs for Tomorrow
- "Today, we're looking at the exchange-traded funds with the lowest expense ratios."
- Mutual Funds That Wear Shock Absorbers
- "Some mutual funds aim to give you most of the stock market's long-term gains without those wrenching drops. Yes, there are some good ones that do exactly that."