Bitcoin prices are near $44,000 and excitement is pouring into the space again. That’s largely due to the focus on the potential launch of spot bitcoin ETFs in January.
The Market Outlook Symposium is coming on December 14. The latest symposium from VettaFi will offer investors a deep and incisive look at how to position for 2024 and beyond. In today’s unusual market environment, this is a critical topic.
Jeremy Grantham will be a keynote speaker at Exchange, joining an exceptional roster of luminaries, thought leaders, and industry titans.
The winter holiday season is here, and I wanted to join in the festivities. Recently, advisors have become more comfortable turning to active ETFs to help them and their clients navigate the uncertain market environment. Actively managed ETFs have gained traction in 2023.
The capital markets are already pricing in rate cuts ahead of 2024, causing yields to fall. One way to continue supplementing income amid a potential drop in yields is to diversify income using a pair of active exchange-traded funds.
As of late Monday, bitcoin had surged nearly 14% over the past seven days. That’s exceeded 42% for the first time since May 2022.
In early October, gold was valued at around $1,820 according to Kitco. That is fairly close to its low for the calendar year. Its previous low came in late February, at $1,811.
A year ago, I’m pretty sure I had little idea what artificial intelligence (AI) was and what it could become. While there were a few related ETFs, AI was just another one of the long-term investment themes.
The recent rate pause by the Federal Reserve is bringing optimism to the capital markets that interest rates may finally head lower. In turn, it’s pushing yields down. Conversely, bond prices rallied in November, which should help bring investors back to the market.
The real world and the digital world are converging every day and becoming increasingly interconnected, and where the two intersect is described by some as “phygital.”
Among Asia’s major economies, China has long been the benchmark against which other countries’ growth is measured. India, currently the continent’s third-largest economy behind China and Japan, appears poised to take the baton of economic growth leadership.
Valuations for municipal bonds are very attractive right now. And as yields remain strong, so do their fundamentals.
November was kind to fixed income investors as bonds posted their best month of 2023. High yield corporate debt participated in that rally as highlighted by the fact that the largest junk bond exchange traded fund is higher by nearly 4.3% over the past month.
With more than 3,000 ETFs to cover and many new ones launching each month, it is easy to forget. For many people, S&P 500 Index-based ETFs remain the core of their portfolio. Heading into 2024, these products topped the latest monthly flow leaderboard.
Recent data point to a record shopping season for Shopify (SHOP), which saw Black Friday sales grow 22% y/y. Additional reports from Adobe Analytics show a strong $9.8 billion Black Friday season.
Even with $2.4 trillion in ETF assets spread across more than 400 ETFs, there’s a pending offering from BlackRock that caught my eye.
Tax-loss harvesting creates an opportunity every year for advisors to turn lemons into lemonade. Advisors can realize losses that their clients experienced during the year and use them to offset realized gains in other parts of their portfolio.
Many advisors and investors in 2023 have turned to fixed income ETFs with an average duration of less than one year. Taking on very little interest rate risk through duration has been rewarding as well.
After the underperformance of stocks and bonds last year, it’s no surprise that diversification strategies are a significant focus this year. Alternatives continue to garner advisor and investor interest as market dispersion grows, including managed futures and long/short strategies.
Collateralized loan obligations, or CLOs, may be a way for advisors to enhance retail clients’ portfolios. They provide investors with access to a diverse pool of senior secured loans. While they have been primarily used by institutional clients to date, CLOs could enhance risk-adjusted returns for individual clients.
VettaFi is thrilled to announce that the ETF Express U.S. Distribution Awards will be part of Exchange in 2024. Exchange is just a few short months away. The financial services community will be gathered in Miami Beach February 11-14. Accordingly, Exchange is an ideal venue for the ETF Express awards.
The fourth quarter has seen a strong performance from gold. In early October, the price of gold stood at $1,820 per ounce, according to Kitco, and looked as if it would continue to drop in value as it had done the previous five months.
Real estate headlines seem to only focus on bad news right now, from remote work’s impact on offices to struggles for city center retail.
Broad commodities have struggled this year. The S&P GSCI Index is down more than 5% year-to-date. However, there are still opportunities when investors dig a little deeper, according to Teucrium’s Senior Portfolio Specialist Jake Hanley.
On November 28, 2023, VettaFi hosted an Alternatives Symposium with an excellent turnout of nearly 750 advisors and investors registered for the event.
Often misunderstood, crypto has an important role to play in the alternatives sleeve of a portfolio.
Commodities entered 2023 behind a strong performance in 2022. For investors revisiting their portfolios ahead of 2024, it may be worth assessing the commodities outlook. From energy to precious metals, commodities can add meaningful diversification to a portfolio.
Our speakers will identify the risks and opportunities in each product type, providing guidance on what to expect under different market conditions.
Don’t look now, but markets are once again getting excited about the prospect of potential rate cuts. Following months defined by rising rates, investors are looking forward to inflation cooling sufficiently for the Fed to finally cut.
While Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) may seem complex and daunting, it’s important to dive into their intricacies. After all, their current yields present an enticing opportunity and a compelling alternative to conventional Treasury bonds.
With equity markets open just a half day, the day after Thanksgiving is usually a noneventful day in financial markets. However, something notable did occur last Friday: Bitcoin jumped to its highest prices in 18 months.
VettaFi will be hosting an Alternatives Symposium tomorrow, November 28. We are covering a range of alternative topics.
This is an exciting time for artificial intelligence and robotics stocks, with many companies reporting and some major news announcements. This week, for the Disruptive Theme of the Week, I reached out to VettaFi’s Senior Research Analyst, Zeno Mercer, for an update on the latest developments in AI and robotics.
Exchange has assembled an impressive lineup of keynote speakers. The conference is just around the corner, with the financial services community gathering February 11-14 in Miami Beach. Here’s what to expect from the keynote speakers.
There are clear intersections between artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing. But for some reason, the latter has been an afterthought as the former has flourished in 2023.
Fixed income ETF demand has been strong in 2023 led by Treasury ETFs. However, advisors have been rewarded by turning to alternatives in the fixed income space, such as those focused on the collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) market.
VettaFi CMO Jon Fee hosted Cole Feinberg, a BondBloxx partner, in an episode of “Road to Exchange.”
Year to date, the Russell 2000’s scant 1% gain is dwarfed by the S&P 500’s 18% gain. But that could be changing. After dominating much of 2023, large-caps could potentially step aside for small-caps to take the majority of gains.
The S&P 500 has rallied in recent days and was up close to 20% for the year. However, heading into 2024, many advisors are exploring a range of investment ideas that offer exposure beyond the stock market.
It might feel as though enthusiasm surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and the related investment theme has waned in recent months. Actually, the opposite is true.
Is the Federal Reserve nearing the end of its rate-hiking cycle? The U.S. central bank is giving investors mixed messages. The Fed has recently paused its rate hikes and said it would keep interest rates between 5.25% and 5.5%.
Using LOGICLY data, we look at two of Direxion’s leveraged gold miners ETFs and their key features.
Investing in the stock market typically brings to mind the strategy of buying low and selling high. However, there’s another, somewhat counterintuitive method some investors employ: short selling.
I find for many the same is true with ETFs and capital gains. However, the ETF pie continues to expand with newer investors each year. The persistent lack of a capital tax gain burden simply for holding onto an investment is worthy of celebration.
Though inflation continues to cool, there remains a potentially longer road ahead to get to the Fed’s desired 2%. In an environment of uncertainty and elevated inflation, the inclusion of managed futures in a portfolio made a significant difference in the last few years as modeled by DBi recently.
Exchange is thrilled to announce another incredible keynote speaker. DoubleLine Capital founder Jeffrey Gundlach will join an already impressive lineup of Exchange speakers.
As we approach the final months of 2023, consumer strength has been somewhat mixed but has overall been running out of steam due to stubbornly high grocery prices and higher housing costs. Interestingly, consumers continue to spend on experiences like concerts, movies, and restaurants.
Confounding market and economic signals persist as the year’s end draws near. In a year punctuated by heightened uncertainty as investors attempted to navigate a confluence of risk factors, stock and bond correlations proved a significant challenge to traditional portfolios.
Gold has a longstanding reputation as an asset that holds its value during inflationary times. It also offers diversification benefits that can be useful in such conditions.
With news that inflation cooled significantly in October, rate hikes from the Fed may now be over. Consumer prices were flat in October, rising just 3.2% from 2022. That rise came in even slower than the year-over-year rise measured in September.
