We had technological difficulties in Maine, however, and couldn't get the satellite hookup going in time.
Even so, I thought it might be interesting to share the portfolio we were going to discuss. It brings up both an important as well as an interesting topic.
According to Wikipedia, "Reflation is the act of stimulating the economy by increasing the money supply or by reducing taxes. It is the opposite of disinflation. It can refer to an economic policy whereby a government uses fiscal or monetary stimulus in order to expand a country's output."
Reflation is not necessarily good or bad, of course. The response from the Fed, the Treasury and Congress over the past few quarters probably saved us from a more crushing recession/potential depression. The ETF Reflation Trade Portfolio
We had technological difficulties in Maine, however, and couldn't get the satellite hookup going in time.
Even so, I thought it might be interesting to share the portfolio we were going to discuss. It brings up both an important as well as an interesting topic.
According to Wikipedia, "Reflation is the act of stimulating the economy by increasing the money supply or by reducing taxes. It is the opposite of disinflation. It can refer to an economic policy whereby a government uses fiscal or monetary stimulus in order to expand a country's output."
Reflation is not necessarily good or bad, of course. The response from the Fed, the Treasury and Congress over the past few quarters probably saved us from a more crushing recession/potential depression. BetaPro Proposes Change Of Underlying Index For Four ETFs (Canada)
BetaPro Management Inc. will hold special meetings of unitholders on July 24 to consider changing the underlying index of four exchange traded funds, the company said Thursday.
“The proposed changes are in response to market demand and should in both cases significantly improve the market liquidity of these ETFs,” says Howard Atkinson, president of Toronto-based BetaPro.
At the special meetings, unitholders of Horizons BetaPro DJ-AIG Agricultural Grains Bull Plus ETF and Horizons BetaPro DJ-AIG Agricultural Grains Bear Plus ETF will be asked to consider revising the investment objectives of the two ETFs by replacing the Dow Jones-UBS grains subindex with the S&P Agribusiness North America index.
The S&P Agribusiness North America index is designed to provide liquid exposure to the upstream and downstream supply chain of the agribusiness sector. The index includes some of the largest publicly traded agribusiness companies trading on the U.S and Canadian exchanges. By moving to an equity based agricultural index, BetaPro believes the HBP Agri ETFs may benefit from improved market liquidity because public trading of the equity issuers in the index and exchange will close at the same time.
Full Story: http://www.investmentexecutive.com/client/en/News/DetailNews.asp?Id=49443&cat=146&IdSection=146&PageMem=&nbNews=&IdPub= Claymore Exchange-Traded Funds Declare Monthly Distributions
LISLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Claymore Advisors, LLC, is pleased to announce that today the following Claymore Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”) have declared monthly distributions. The table below summarizes the distribution schedule for each Fund declaring a distribution.
Emerging Global Advisors Launch First Emerging Markets Sector ETFs
The first-ever emerging market sector family of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) has been introduced by Emerging Global Advisors, LLC, (EGA) it was announced today.
The new Emerging Global Shares (EGS) family of ETFs is based on the Dow Jones Emerging Markets Sector Titans Indexes and is designed to provide institutional investors with broad-based exposure to leading emerging market companies across multiple industry sectors. The initial funds will focus on Energy and Metals & Mining. All the ETFs will be listed on the NYSE Arca electronic exchange.
"For the first time, institutional investors will have a transparent vehicle for gaining sector-based exposure to the emerging markets,” said Robert Holderith, chief executive officer at Emerging Global Advisors. "Our family of ETFs will provide the market access and liquidity to allow institutions to execute trading and investment strategies that have not been previously possible.” ETFs: Building a Reflation Portfolio (VIDEO)
Market Vectors Coal ETF (KOL) Red Hot
Coal was one of our best performing sector groups in latter 2007 through summer 2008. While much of the focus of late has been on natural gas, the coal stocks have been ripping in even larger magnitude. I was a bull on coal over natural gas (although the market in its student body left trading simply moves all commodities together) because of the portability of coal over natural gas. We were early on this theme as the market was so focused on oil stocks at the time, and made a lot of money [Dec 6, 2007: Coal Stocks Quietly in Bull Market] I wrote a bevy of pieces about this 1.5 years ago... but again, the market is not very granular nowadays; it likes big sweeping themes that are simple: i.e. commodities good.
I have a litany of posts on just about every major coal producer in the archives, but for a simple way to play the sector there is an ETF which we introduced January 2008 [Jan 14, 2008: New Coal ETF (KOL) Introduced from Van Eck Global] Simple Is Best With ETF’s
It was bound to happen, I suppose. While exchange-traded funds have not yet attracted the multi-trillions of dollars that mutual funds have, ETFs have become popular enough they're starting to acquire some of the bad habits of their older rivals.
The first generation of ETFs were low-cost, broadly diversified products from firms like Barclays and Vanguard, well suited to average investors wishing to expose the core of their portfolios to the broad equity market.
But we are well into the second phase of ETF proliferation, with more volatile sector ETFs sporting considerably higher price tags. How complex it's become can be inferred from the fact BetaPro Management Inc. is hosting an all-day Horizons ETF University session today at Ryerson University, part of a seven-city road show. Gain From the Greenback’s Pain Through ETF’s
If you're bullish on stocks, you should be shopping abroad.
THE DOLLAR CONTINUES to be yin to the stock market's yang.
As the perception that the worst of the economic and financial crisis has passed bolsters equities, the greenback is giving back its gains.
The dollar's declines are being blamed by the sado-monetarists (to steal once again a terrific turn of phrase from John Liscio, our late friend and colleague at Barron's) on the aggressive expansion of liquidity by the Federal Reserve.
And, indeed, the U.S. Dollar Index, which measures the greenback's value against a basket of America's major trading partners, broke below its 200-day moving a couple of weeks ago ("Green Shoots -- Bad for Greenbacks," May 7.) The further drop in the U.S. Dollar Index to below 82 essentially puts it back to where it started the year...... Nuclear: The Next Energy ETF Trend (NLR)
Catching the mega trend is a tricky business. If you’re paying attention, you might have a chance. Green energy was one such trend - and now we think another such trend may be developing in nuclear energy.
When oil jumped significantly a couple of years ago, Hummers were still popular. Most Americans didn’t mind filling up their 2 SUVs (remember those?). As long as gas was “reasonable” they just put it on the card. But as the global boom unfolded, the world consumed more energy than the market could supply at such “low” prices. Crude oil briefly shot up to around $150. This scared many Americans. They scaled back on their energy consumption - sometimes out of necessity.
At the same time, Al Gore (remember him?) came out with his movie about global warming. The resulting publicity about greenhouse emissions led to soaring interest in alternative energy sources. Suddenly the hybrid Toyota Prius was mainstream and incandescent light bulbs were a social faux pas. Green energy was in. Anyone who bought Green four years ago made out like a bandit. United States Commodity Funds LLC files for ETF To Short Oil Prices; symbol: “DNO”
THE OFFERING:
USSO will be offering Creation Baskets consisting of 100,000 units through ALPS Distributors, Inc. (“Marketing Agent”) as marketing agent to Authorized Purchasers. The initial Authorized Purchaser will purchase one or more initial Creation Baskets of 100,000 units at an initial offering price per unit equal to $50.00. The initial Authorized Purchaser intends to offer the units of the initial Creation Basket(s) publicly. The effective date will be the date on which the SEC declares the registration statement relating to this prospectus effective and is expected to be the date of the sale of the initial Creation Basket(s). However, the proceeds are not expected to be invested until the order for the first Creation Basket has settled and cash is received from the initial Authorized Purchaser. The units are expected to begin trading on the day following the purchase of the initial Creation Basket(s) by the initial Authorized Purchaser. Serious Money: ETF That’s Better Than Cash
......But where to put the cash. A checking account will only pay you a fraction of a percent interest -- no thanks. Treasuries are safe but do not pay much either unless you invest long term. What I decided to do was find an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) that allowed me short term liquidity, security, relative stability and paid a higher yield. I also liked the idea of an ETF because it allowed me to keep the funds in the brokerage account and I could still keep score.
What I decided on was the Vanguard Total Bond Market (NYSE: BND) ETF. It is currently paying a 4.15% yield and I can trade shares anytime to get cash. Earn Up to 10% a Month on Your Investments (If You Like Risk)
Think this sounds like a scam? It's not. Our senior investing editor Jeff Kosnett sifted through piles of historical and current data from bond funds, ETFs, trusts and stocks looking for the highest and most reliable dividend-paying sources. Then he configured three portfolios to suit investors with various risk levels.
These investments are paid out monthly and are good for those who need more income now, versus 20 years from now.
See what it takes to maximize your dividend income?
Kosnett's High-Risk, High-Yield Plan for the Recession Aftermath
Estimated yield: 9.5% The Stock Market’s Riskiest ETFs
At a time when too much debt on the part of everyone from homeowners to hedge funds brought the world financial system to the brink, you'd think "leverage" would be a four-letter word. But if the explosive growth of leveraged exchange-traded funds is any indication, it seems like investors just can't get their hands on enough money in order to boost returns.
True, leveraged ETFs offer a cheap, liquid and transparent way to double- or even triple-down on the movements of their underlying indexes — both long and short — but they are unsuitable or even dangerous if you don't understand the product. Unfortunately, most regular folks just don't.
"For the most part leveraged ETFs are completely inappropriate vehicles for individuals," says Maury Fertig, partner at Relative Value Partners, an independent investment advisor in Northbrook, Ill. "They have to be constantly evaluated. It's a lot more work and risk. And just knowing how most individuals manage their money, why do it? You have to babysit the thing." Euro Funds ETF (FXE) Spikes; Some Urge Caution
The Euro Shares ETF broke through what some technical investors have called an important price threshold Wednesday, trading at $138.13, up $1.78, or 1.3%......
......"The recent spike is an encouraging sign, and it's not too late to take part," said Tom Lydon, an investor and founder of the ETF Trends newsletter......
......Other experts believe that caution is in order for those wanting to make a play in the ETF based on the euro dollar. "The EU still has member nations that are in serious trouble," said Ron DeLegge, editor of ETF Guide, who urged investors to be wary of the fundamentals.
Full Story: http://www.thestreet.com/story/10503810/1/euro-funds-etf-spikes-some-urge-caution.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN 
