Exchange-Traded Products

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.

As I wrote this blog, the S&P 500 index is up roughly 17% year-to-date. Most likely, your portfolio isn’t. This is a common frustration among many investors in the market this year in particular.

The 2023 holiday season is officially upon us. Happy Black Friday and Cyber Monday to those who observe!

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.

CIO designate Sean Taylor gives his take on what Asia has to offer global and emerging markets investors, from growth, to diversification, to innovation.

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.”

Taxes can have a significant and ongoing impact on an investment portfolio. Advisors can help their clients minimize that impact with a tax-smart approach. Advisors can prepare for capital gains season now, and potentially maximize their clients’ after-tax returns.

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.

Reasons prompting concern around investing in China may be improving, but volatility is likely to remain characteristic of Chinese stocks in 2024.

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.

Dina Ting, Franklin Templeton’s Head of Global Index Portfolio Management, sheds light on the benefits of single-country ETF allocations against what has been a rocky macro backdrop and discusses ways to re-evaluate potential opportunities in terms of tax-loss decision-making.

Today's uncertain economic climate is putting particular pressure on four market segments. Here's what to watch out for in the months ahead.

For the better part of two years, investors have been primed with hope of a “Fed pivot” that will presumably restore easy monetary policy and supportive conditions for the financial markets.

Following the surge in inflation, the most aggressive Fed tightening cycle since the 1980s and multi-decade lows in business and consumer confidence, calls for a U.S. recession have been prevalent all year.

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.

The run-off election looks tight in Argentina, where I’m attending a Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) event in Buenos Aires.

A movie that I’m quite fond of is 25^th Hour, a Spike Lee joint about three friends in post-9/11 New York City. One of them, played by Barry Pepper, is a bond trader.

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.

Advisor Perspectives, the premier digital publisher for the financial advisory profession and a recent addition to the fast-growing VettaFi lineup of research and educational offerings, today announced that it has been ranked as the most-read electronic newsletter among financial advisors for the fifth year in a row by Erdos Media Research’s Financial Advisor Media Outlook and Usage Study (FAMOUS).

Investors starved for yield since the great financial crisis can now have it merely by holding cash reserves. At least for now (as of November 8), the U.S. three-month Treasury Bill was yielding 5.4%, up from 0.50% at the end of 2021 and 4.4% at the end of last year.

The recent pause in interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve could finally signal an end to monetary policy tightening. But fixed income investors can keep on reaching for high yield opportunities with a pair of active ETFs from American Century.

Third-quarter earnings announcements have almost come and gone, with yesterday being the last big burst of companies. Some key firms have yet to announce, like Nvidia and Walmart, but everything I’m seeing says it surpassed expectations.

Like some advances earlier this year, the market's current surge hasn't been defined by strong breadth underneath the surface—which will be key for a sustained, durable advance.

As I write this, we’re just about three months out from kicking off Exchange 2024 in Miami, Florida. Obviously, I and the whole team here at VettaFi would love it if you came.

The price of gold just had its best October in nearly half a century, defying tough resistance from surging Treasury yields and a strong U.S. dollar. The yellow metal rallied an incredible 7.3% last month to close at $1,983 an ounce, its strongest October since 1978, when it jumped 11.7%.