central bank

It took Tuesday's strong showing to lift the S&P 500 into positive territory for 2015, but for now, the benchmark U.S. equity index is sporting a year-to-date gain of less than 1 percent. That does not mean equity investors have not been rewarded this year. Select strategies offered by...

The Market Vectors Russia ETF Trust (NYSE: RSX), the largest exchange-traded fund tracking Russian stocks, is the only one of the four major ETFs tracking the BRIC economies currently sporting a year-to-date gain. However, that obfuscates a six-month slide of 18.7 percent. Of the big single-country...

Entering Tuesday, the S&P 500, the benchmark U.S. equity index, sports a modest year-to-date loss of 0.12 percent. That would seem to imply it was a boring year for U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds that track the S&P 500. However, this year was anything but boring the myriad ETFs that...

On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve made history by raising interest rates and officially ending a prolonged period of "easy-money" in the United States. So far, global markets have reacted positively, as much of the uncertainty surrounding when the bank would begin tightening has finally been...

Several years ago, currency-hedged exchange-traded funds were viewed as niche concepts. These days, ETFs that provide equity exposure while profiting from the dollar's strength against currencies ranging from the euro to the yen and many more are mainstream. Led by the WisdomTree Inter Hedged...

The Federal Reserve finally did it. On Wednesday, the U.S. central bank raised interest rates for the first time in more than nine years, setting the course for several more rate hikes in 2016 and perhaps taking rates as high as 1.25 percent by the end of the year. After the dust settled on the Fed...

The Federal Reserve holds one of its most widely anticipated meetings in recent memory on Wednesday December 16 and while there is no such thing as a sure thing in financial markets, it would be surprising if the central bank does not proceed with its first rate hike in nine years this week. In...

With just a few days left until the most widely anticipated Federal Reserve meeting in recent memory, it is clear that participants in the exchange-traded funds market are betting that the Fed will raise interest rates next month. A recent survey of fund managers confirms as much, as the...

With most analysts betting on an interest rate hike in December, there has been a lot of chatter about the negative effects likely to follow. The U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise its base interest rate at its policy meeting next week, something that will pull the bank into uncharted...

In a new report, HSBC analyst Fredrik Nerbrand named the firm’s top 10 market risks for 2016. Here’s a breakdown of the list. 2016's Top 10 Risks 1. U.S. Capex Recovery In this scenario, U.S. labor markets will continue to improve leading to strong profits, higher capital spending, wage...

There is a simple reason why five of the 10 worst exchange-traded funds in terms of fourth-quarter outflows are fixed income funds. However, before explaining further, it should be noted that the iShares Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund (NYSE: AGG) is this quarter's top asset gatherer. The fixed income...

Although the Federal Reserve has yet to boost interest rates, there has been ample speculation this year about when the central bank will do that, and that speculation has weighed on plenty of exchange-traded funds emphasizing dividends. To be precise, dividend ETFs with robust exposure to rate-...

For as much as financial services exchange-traded funds want the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, utilities want the Fed to continue its near zero interest rate policy for as long as possible. The reasoning is simple. Few sectors are as rate-sensitive as utilities. Recent showings by...

Last week, the Federal Reserve opted to maintain its zero interest rate policy (ZIRP). Now, market participants turn their attention to the Fed's October and December meetings – the central bank's remaining 2015 meetings, as possible “liftoff” dates. That means markets...

It is no secret that financial services stocks and the corresponding exchange-traded funds are eager for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, something the central bank declined to do last week. Investors' disdain for the Fed's continuation of its zero interest rate policy (ZIRP) as...