S&P Capital IQ

This year's flows action in the world of exchange-traded funds has largely been defined by risk-off sentiment. That includes advisors and investors flocking to fixed income ETFs. At various points this year, six of the top 10 asset-gathering ETFs were bond funds. Although that number has...

In November 2014, the S&P Dow Jones Indices and MSCI, two of the largest providers of benchmarks for exchange-traded funds, said real estate would become the eleventh Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) sector in August 2016. And REIT Makes 11 Although that announcement is now a year...

No it is not consumer discretionary or technology — both frequent stomping grounds for hedge funds. It is not the healthcare sector, another hedge fund favorite, either. Data indicate that in the first quarter, hedge funds, an investment vehicle often viewed as exotic, even sexy, were drawn...

Maybe it is a case of not letting exchange-traded funds such as the PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio (PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II (NYSE: SPLV)) have all the fun, but emerging markets equivalents are joining their U.S.-focused low volatility counterparts in...

When it comes to real estate stocks and the corresponding exchange-traded funds, income investors primarily focus on the yields being lobbed off by these securities and what the Federal Reserve is up to. Why? Because real estate equities are believed to be negatively correlated to rising interest...

Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS)'s Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) was a late entrant to the exchange-traded funds industry, bringing its first ETF to market in September. However, GSAM rapidly made its presence felt on at least two fronts: Prolific asset-gathering acumen and lower-than-...

With the Consumer Staples Select Sect. SPDR (ETF) (NYSE: XLP) up nearly 5 percent year-to-date and 6.4 percent over the past 90 days, there have been plenty of good times to be long the staples sector this year. However, with another bout of “sell in May and go away” potentially looming...

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing has taken on added importance in recent years, and the exchange-traded funds and indexing communities have responded in significant fashion, launching an array of new products to meet investors' thirst for more ESG solutions. Jumping On The...

The day of his daughter's wedding was, according to Sicilian tradition, an ideal time to ask Vito Corleone for a favor. But make no mistake, the don would want that favor to be repaid. Don't worry because there is a don that does favors without any expectations: The WisdomTree MidCap...

Year-to-date, emerging markets exchange-traded funds are displaying superiority over their Europe counterparts. For example, the Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fd (NYSE: VWO) and the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Indx (ETF) (NYSE: EEM) (the two largest emerging markets ETFs) are both up 2.8...

Emerging markets equities and exchange-traded funds are looking better this year than they have for awhile. That much is confirmed by a more than 6 percent year-to-date gain for the widely followed MSCI Emerging Markets Index. While traditional, diversified emerging markets ETFs are on the mend,...

The value factor and the exchange-traded funds that emphasize that factor are received renewed attention this year as growth and momentum lag. One value ETF that has been on the receiving end of increased adulation is the Guggenheim Invest S&P 500 Pure Value ETF (NYSE: RPV). Part of the reason...

Large-cap stocks are usually thought of as the best dividend destinations, but dividend investors should not sleep on mid-caps. In fact, there is ample room for dividend growth among U.S. mid-caps. At the end of last year, just over 70 percent of the S&P mid-cap 400 paid dividends. Rather than...

Broadly speaking, mutual fund companies that issue actively managed mid- and small-cap growth funds are getting away with highway robbery. Not only are these funds pricey to own, but their managers, undoubtedly highly paid, really are not all that good at their jobs. Again, that is broadly speaking...

Every now and then, there is something to stoke the fires of indexing nerds. This year's fire starter, albeit already known, could be the addition of real estate as the eleventh member of the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) group. Real estate's separation from the financial...