From the category archives:

ETF

New Margin Requirements for Leveraged ETFs Whack Retail Investors but Don’t Address Ignorance

Did anyone notice a margin call in your account this week when you had a few thousand dollars in cash cushioning your portfolio the week prior? I did. I’ve had a proprietary trade on for some time now which employs leveraged ETFs overlayed with some other instruments for a market neutral play that’s been working […]

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2009 Stock Market Returns YTD from Around the World – Shocking!

This emerging markets ETF list is illuminating in that while many of these same ETFs were the worst performers of 2008, they are now the strongest performers of 2009, especially compared to developed nation stock markets. While historical stock market returns are no guarantee of future results, it is instructive to evaluate which stock markets […]

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The Gold-Dollar Correlation Explained and Why it Broke Down

Last week, I had posted on how the euphoric gold hype was really just a proxy for a weak dollar investment and there are more highly correlated and efficient means to exploit currency changes than buying an anachronistic, useless metal. Additionally, there’s talk of a dollar crisis and what it portends for commodity prices. When […]

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Gold Hype? You’re Being Taken for a Ride

There’s been much fanfare made of gold breaking an all-time high in US Dollar terms, even though the dollar has declined precipitously against virtually every foreign currency (so it’s not really appreciating that much in terms of other global currencies), but the trend is your friend and if you’re a momentum trader or fear inflation […]

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Best Currency ETF Plays to Exploit Weak Dollar Trend

Currency ETFs are starting to gain favor with retail investors as both a hedge to the weak dollar trend that has resumed since the flight to safety during the recent financial crisis, as well as for speculation. While many individual investors are intimidated by setting up a Forex market trading account, there are several US […]

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2009 Stock Market Returns – Emerging Markets in Triple Digits

2009 Stock Market Returns around the world have been anything but steady following the financial collapse of 2008 and a follow-through into 2009 that resulted in complete capitulation the likes of which hasn’t been seen in decades. Following the March low, stocks have rocketed back, many of them leveraged off of a US rally with […]

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Leveraged ETF Ticker Symbols – All the 2X and 3X Return Info You Need

Leveraged ETFs returning 2X and now, 3X the daily returns of various sectors, indices and commodities are all the rage now for both investors and regulators. While there is ample information out there warning about some of the leveraged ETFs risks (read to understand why I’ve dubbed them the Riskiest ETFs on Earth), there are […]

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Lazy Portfolios Beat the S&P – but Claims are Bogus and Deceiving

Marketwatch continues to post on Paul Farrell’s “Lazy Portfolios” that purport to “whip” the S&P500. While the premise of diversification and passive long term retirement investing is a good one, the claims of whippage are a bit overdone in my opinion and may lull naive investors into complacency when they should be scrutinizing their investments […]

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How to Hedge Gas Prices and Put Money Back in your Pocket

What if I told you that you didn’t have to wrestle with skyrocketing gas prices again this summer like 2008? With oil prices reaching new highs again and gas prices trailing in lockstep, it’s time to think about how to hedge your exposure to increasing fuel prices and save money on gas by whatever means […]

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