Commodity ETFs

Gold is Out – Is the Fear Trade Over?

April 14, 2013

This week gold entered bear market territory, plunging by more than 20% from the market highs set in 2011. Gold also lost its correlation to equities, seeing as the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) is off by 10% while equities, as measured by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), are up 12%. Is the gold rush […]

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Consumer Staples ETFs for Lower Volatility

December 31, 2012

Consumer staples companies – those that make goods that consumers buy time and time again – are known for being leaders in low volatility returns from the equity markets. Consumer staples companies include well known names like Procter & Gamble (PG), Coca-Cola Co (KO), or Colgate-Palmolive (CL). Why Invest in Consumer Staples Consumer staples stocks […]

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ETF Spotlight: PureFunds ISE Mining Service ETF (MSXX)

December 2, 2012

FactorShares, a company better known for exotic funds tracking the spreads between dissimilar asset classes (gold and stocks, for example), has launched a new fund tracking the mining service space. The new fund offers a new way to get exposure to a popular asset class – gold and silver bullion – by investing in companies […]

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Gold Miner ETFs vs. Gold: Finding a Fair Ratio

September 23, 2012

Given the recent Fed action and immediate market rally in certain QE3 favored assets, it should come as no surprise that old is back en vogue.  The relationship between gold prices and gold miners should be quite clear – gold miners, which are levered to gold prices, should advance in excess of any move in […]

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Palladium ETF Shares Strong Link to Automakers, Worst of Metals in 2012

September 3, 2012

When ETFSecurities launched its ETFS Physical Palladium Fund (PALL), it set the ETF scene on fire. Even regulators worried that the ETF may corner the market for physical palladium, one of the most rare of the industrial metals. So far this year, Palladium has failed to keep pace with other well known metal funds. Here’s […]

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Contango Explained

February 5, 2012

Exchange-traded fund investors use ETFs for any number of reasons. Many use them for their simplicity, others know that low ETF fees bring about higher, long-run returns. What many investors seem to forget, however, are the unique risks that come with underlying portfolios that make up any ETF. Now that commodities are on fire – […]

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1000 Best and Worst ETFs of 2011

October 19, 2011

With 2011 coming to a close, it’s a good time to take inventory of which ETFs fared the best which may lend some insight into trends and sectors to keep an eye on going into the close of the year.  With tax-loss harvesting, asset rebalancing, and the dreaded annual returns fund managers must report following […]

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5 Reasons to AVOID the Gold ETF GLD

September 26, 2011

The gold bugs have certainly been gloating of late (well, excluding the prior 2 trading sessions) seeing as how bullion prices, miners and precious metals ETFs have been holding up well while most other asset classes spiral downward in a volatility vortex.  In the short term, sure, gold has performed well and may well continue […]

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Physical Silver Trust Premium Collapses – Pairs Trade Returns 10%

May 5, 2011

With the various precious metals ETFs out there and the volatility we’re seeing in the markets now, there are opportunities to exploit market inefficiencies that appear and disappear rather quickly (see more on arbitrage investments).  But investors that are agile can benefit as these scenarios repeat themselves somewhat frequently.  In the past, I benefited from […]

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