ETF Base: Exchange-traded funds have commoditized broad allocation strategies. As exchange-traded funds require only a modest amount of overhead and competition intensifies, fund fees plunge with each passing day. Read more…

NYSE:FLG, NYSE:FMU, SCHB, TUZ, VOO, VTI

Jared Cummans: One of the founding principles of the ETF industry was cost competitiveness; after being charged upwards of 150 basis points for their favorite mutual funds, investors had grown tired of surrendering a substantial portion of their gains to the managers of big name funds. Now, there are Read more…

IVV, NYSE:CORN, NYSE:DSLV, SPY, VOO, VTI

Michael Johnston: As ETFs have burst on to the scene in recent years, just about every serious investor and professional money manager has taken a crash course in exchange-traded products, becoming familiar with the countless benefits and nuances of these products. Features such as enhanced transparency Read more…

NYSE:DBC, NYSE:EEM, NYSE:EFA, NYSE:GDX, VOO, XLU

Michael Johnston:  In recent years ETFs have become increasingly popular as means of establishing cost efficient, low maintenance exposure to time-tested investment strategies. Russell recently rolled out a line of “investment discipline ETFs” that essentially automate the construction of Read more…

NYSE:GRPC, NYSE:SDIV, PEY, PFM, SDY, VIG, VOO

After the close of trading on Friday BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK). will replace Genzyme Corp (NASDAQ:GENZ). in the S&P 500 index (SNP:^GSPC). S&P is making the change because biotech company Genzyme announced last month that it would be taken private for $20.1 billion by Read more…

IVE, IVV, IVW, RPV, RSP, RSW, SDS, SH, SPXU, SPY, SSO, VOO

In October 2008, FocusShares announced that it was shutting down its four ETFs after the funds had failed to attract significant assets in about a year of operations. That first generation of Read more…

IVV, NYSE:FLG, NYSE:FMU, SPY, VOO, VWO

In 2010 the ETF industry stumbled coming out of the gate, as more than $17 billion flowed out of exchange-traded products in the first month of the year. This year’s January figures showed an Read more…

IAU, IWM, NYSE:CCX, NYSE:DIA, NYSE:EEM, NYSE:EWZ, NYSE:GLD, QQQQ, SPY, VOO, VTI, VWO

Happy Holidays! Many people have the last day of the year off, but not stock and ETF traders. Since 2011 New Year’s Day falls on a Saturday, the NYSE and other exchanges are open for a full day. Read more…

IVV, NYSE:AMLP, NYSE:EDV, NYSE:EFA, NYSE:FXE, SPY, USL, USO, VEU, VOO

The past year was an exciting one for the ETF industry, as assets continued to surge (recently passing the $1 trillion mark), new and innovative products hit the market (now nearly 1,100 U.S. Read more…

IAU, LIT, MLPG, MLPI, MLPL, NYSE:AMJ, NYSE:COPX, NYSE:GLD, PALL, PPLT, REMX, SIL, SPY, URA, USCI, VOO, VTI

It may be premature to hit the print button for the death certificate of active management, but changes to the investing landscape over the last several years have forced a reassessment of the Read more…

IVV, LAG, MINT, NYSE:AGG, NYSE:BIL, NYSE:BND, NYSE:CWI, NYSE:EEM, SHV, SPY, VOO, VTI, VWO

The S&P 500 Index is perhaps the world’s best known benchmark. First published in 1957, the cap-weighted index consists of 500 large cap U.S. stocks listed on either the NYSE or NASDAQ and has Read more…

IVV, SPY, VOO

As the greenback begins to take back some of the ground it has recently lost, investors are befuddled as to where they should allocate their assets. Some are still bullish on gold or fixed Read more…

IYE, SMH, VOO

The surge in ETF assets over the past several years has been driven by a number of factors, as investors have embraced the enhanced liquidity and tax efficiency these vehicles offer relative to Read more…

SCHB, VOO

As the ETF industry has expanded at a breakneck pace in recent years, keeping track of all the products out there has become no easy task. There are now well more than 1,000 exchange-traded Read more…

IWV, JNK, LAG, LQD, MDY, NYSE:AGG, NYSE:BND, NYSE:CPI, NYSE:EEM, NYSE:EWX, NYSE:HYG, PHB, SCHB, SPY, TIP, VOO, VWO

A price war is breaking out in the exchange traded fund (ETF) industry. While it’s not good news for everyone — ETF sponsors, for instance — investors can now get more for their money than ever Read more…

SPY, VOO