This is an excerpt from ETF Battles on ETFguide TV with SPY vs. SPLG and SPY vs. URTH – it’s a doubleheader brawl between these all equity ETFs. Who wins the battle? SPY, SPLG and URTH go against each other in key categories, including cost, performance and diversification SPY and SPLG are nearly identical while …
ETF Battles: A Doubleheader Bout between SPY, SPLG and URTH, Who Wins? Read More »
This is an excerpt from ETF Battles on ETFguide TV between USMV vs. SPLV – two volatility minimizing stock ETFs. Who wins the battle? Stock market volatility per the CBOE S&P 500 VIX Index (VIX) has skyrocketed in 2020. In mid-March, the VIX jumped near +500% and has since backed off. Nevertheless, daily volatility remains …
Note: This 2013 interview between Ron DeLegge at ETFguide and John Bogle from the Vanguard Group is from ETFguide’s archives of investing greats. Bogle passed away on January 16, 2019. Hi everybody. I’m Ron DeLegge with ETFguide.com and we’re pleased to have with us John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group, author of many books, …
Investing great John Bogle: “Here’s how to use ETFs!” Read More »
Question from our mailbag: Which technology ETF is the better choice – TECL or XLK? – Victor in Kansas It’s not surprising to see a high level of interest in the tech sector. Whether its the promise of cloud computing (NYSEARCA:SKYY), clean energy transportation (NYSEARCA:LIT), or improved cyber-security (NYSEARCA:HACK), technology always leads other sectors with …
It’s been said the more things change, the more they stay the same. And right now, the performance of stock market industry sectors is behaving right in line with that view. During the first quarter, the total U.S. stock market (NYSEARCA:VTI) rose almost 6% in value. Driving the stock market’s strong start has been bullish momentum …
Over the past several years traditional market cap weighted indexes have been derided. Why? Because upstarts, known as “smart beta” have taken the ETF marketplace by storm and are trying to dislodge traditional indexing . And one of the oft-repeated arguments against traditional indexing that you’re guaranteed to read about or see is something like, …
What’s your investment portfolio’s performance? Do you know? Just 57% of U.S. adults are “financially literate,” according to a study from Standard & Poor’s titled the “2015 Global Financial Literacy Survey.” Another study by a large insurance company found that people are more frightened by planning their finances than dying. What’s wrong? Part of the problem …
With 2016 officially half over, the celebratory nature of the stock market is being masked by another telling trend: Defensive sectors are outperforming higher risk areas. Formerly hot groups drenched with elevated risk like solar energy (NYSEARCA:TAN) and biotechnology stocks (NasdaqGS:IBB) have fallen out of favor and are down more than 20%, putting them into bear …
Higher investment risk leads to higher investment returns, right? It’s a Wall Street axiom that we’ve heard so many times it’s become ingrained in us. But conventional wisdom and reality have the peculiar habit of departing from one another. And what’s happening in 2016 is a noteworthy example of this grand departure. With the year already …
Do stock market correlations matter? Statisticians use correlations (or cross-correlation) to measure the relationship between asset classes or investments. The general idea is to better understand the similarity or dissimilarity in how investments perform against each other and to build a portfolio of investments that can benefit. The CBOE S&P 500 Implied Correlation Index (ChicagoOptions:^KCJ) …
Should Correlations Drive Your Investment Decisions? Read More »
Never mind the abysmal results of first quarter earnings for the depressed energy sector. It doesn’t matter. And never mind the conventional wisdom of group-think and scary analyst warnings like, “Energy stocks are in deep trouble because Q1 losses will mark the first time any sector in the S&P 500 has reported an aggregate loss since …
Over the past several years there’s been a lot of derogatory talk against traditional market cap weighted indexes. And one of the oft-repeated arguments against traditional indexing that you’re guaranteed to read about or see is something like, “Market cap weighted indexes overweight overvalued large-cap stocks and underweight undervalued smaller-cap stocks.” As a result of these arguments, there’s been a relentless …
Contrarian investing takes gumption. Not only are you buying assets that are hated by most investors, but you’re doing it at prices that are depressed. It’s a scary proposition for many people and because it requires such nerves of steel, most don’t do it. Add it to the checklist of reasons why contrarian investing – whether it’s done as a long-term investment or short-term …
Legendary speculator Bernard Baruch once quipped: “Don’t try to buy at the bottom and sell at the top. It can’t be done except by liars.” Baruch was on to something. And since reams have been written and said about tops and bottoms in both individual securities along with broader markets (NYSEARCA:VTI), we can’t help but …
Do You Need to Buy at Market Bottoms to Get Profitable Results? Read More »
Stock market volatility ain’t what it used to be. And unlike recent years, the VIX, a benchmark of volatility in S&P 500 stocks, (NYSEARCA:VOO) has been consistently up in 2016. The chart below illustrates how market conditions and stock market volatility or VIX (ChicagoOptions:^VIX) have dramatically changed over the past 52-weeks. (Audio) Stress-Test Your Investments Now + It’s Not a Bear …
Rising Stock Market Volatility, A Sign of the Times Read More »
Heading into the final trading month of the year, the U.S. stock market has history riding on its side. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSEARCA:DIA), the S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:SPY), and the Nasdaq Composite (NasdaqGM:ONEQ) have all posted average of gains between +2.3% to 5.1% during the fourth quarter of pre-election years in the past 66 years. And …
It’s been said the only bubbles that Wall Street sees are the bubbles in its champagne glasses. It appears those words are true because year-end targets for the S&P 500 (SNP:^GSPC) by Wall Street’s finest – are shall we dare say – quite bubbly: Bank of America 2,200 Goldman Sachs 2,100 Morgan Stanley 2,275 JPMorgan 2,250 Stifel 2,350 …
The almost +2% jump in the S&P 500 (SNP:^GSPC) just three-days before the release of the Federal Reserve’s no rate hike decision looks suspicious and so does the heavy call buying volume. And while this type of curious trading activity resembles insider buying right before a big corporate takeover, I’m confident the Securities and Exchange Commission will …
Do good performing investments always start out good? The short answer is not necessarily. As proof, we showed ETFguide’s readers a real life example in the June 2015 issue of the ETF Profit Strategy Newsletter. In that issue, we shared an incredible story about a 72-year old investor who converted a $95,000 investment made in two …
In case you didn’t get the memo, global stocks are now in correction mode. And the velocity of the rout has been shocking to seasoned financial pros not to mention the investing masses. For perspective, the three largest U.S. stock benchmarks – the Dow Industrials (NYSEARCA:DIA), Nasdaq-100 (Nasdaq:QQQ), and S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:VOO) are up between …
4 Signs Your Portfolio Isn’t Ready for a Bear Market Read More »