Fitch Ratings

The Australian dollar has been among the more solid developed markets currencies this year. That status has lifted the Guggenheim CurrencyShares Australian (NYSE: FXA) to a gain of 2.4 percent. 'With All Her Faults We Love Her Still, Britannia Rules The Wave' The driving forces behind the Aussie...

Up nearly 13 percent year-to-date, the Ishares Msci Turkey Inv Market Index Fd (NYSE: TUR) is one of this year's better-performing single-county emerging markets exchange-traded funds. Turkish Delight? TUR's bullishness this year's comes amid lingering concerns about the country's...

The iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF (NYSE: EWP), the largest exchange-traded fund tracking stocks in the eurozone's fourth-largest economy, is down 8.2 percent this year. Financials As is the case with other members of the PIIGS group, there have been lingering concerns about the health of...

Thanks in large part to soaring precious metals prices, the iShares MSCI All Peru Capped Index Fund (NYSE: EPU) is up nearly 48.7 percent this year. That is better than triple the returns offered by the iShares S&P Latin America 40 Index (ETF) (NYSE: ILF) and more than 11 times the performance...

Thanks in part to rebounding commodities prices and the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) efforts to weaken the Australian dollar, exchange-traded funds tracking equities down under are among this year's best developed markets performers. The Land Down Under While the MSCI EAFE Index, of...

High-yielding business development companies (BDCs) are one of the asset classes benefiting from the Federal Reserve's lower for longer interest rate policy this year. That much is confirmed by a 9.5 percent rise over the past 90 days for the VanEck Vectors BDC Income ETF (NYSE: BIZD). BDC ETFs...

Alright a couple of a caveats here. First, the Guggenheim CurrencyShares Australian (NYSE: FXA) has, until recent weeks, been one of the better-performing developed market currency exchange-traded funds this year. Second, it is not wise to turn leveraged ETFs, vehicles meant to be short-term...

Mergers and acquisitions have been one of the key drivers behind the healthcare sector's leadership during the current bull market. That catalyst has been dealt a blow at the hands of the U.S. government's efforts to crack down on inversion deals, but that does not mean healthcare M&A...

On a year-to-date basis, the Global X MSCI Greece ETF (Global X Funds (NYSE: GREK)) is the only single-country exchange-traded fund tracking a PIIGS economy that is trending upward. Then again, none of those ETFs have been nearly has bad as the iShares MSCI Italy Index (ETF) (NYSE: EWI). The...

Thank rising oil prices for blowing away the notion, at least on a near-term basis, that Canadian and U.S. stocks are tightly correlated. Year-to-date, the iShares MSCI Canada Index (ETF) (NYSE: EWC) is up 12.7 percent, which is better than quadruple the returns of the S&P 500. Indeed, the $2....

If the current pace is maintained for the rest of this year, 2016 could go down as the year of the Latin American exchange-traded fund comeback. With the exception of the iShares MSCI Mexico Inv. mt. Idx. (ETF) (NYSE: EWW), the major Latin American single-country ETFs trading in New York are all...

Arguably the biggest source of controversy surrounding high-yield bond exchange-traded funds has been the ability of these products to remain sufficiently liquid during times of elevated market duress. With size and liquidity being important factors to many professional investors, that might be why...

Thanks in large part to rebounding energy commodities, namely oil, the once downtrodden and maligned First Trust ISE Revere Natural Gas (ETF) (NYSE: FCG) is up 5.7 percent year-to-date. That is an especially performance showing when noting the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP (NYSE: UNG) is off...

After a couple of years of dismal performances, Russia exchange-traded funds are on the mend in 2016, thanks in large part to rebounding Brent crude prices. With the United States Brent Oil Fund, LP (NYSE: BNO) up more than 41 percent over the past 90 days, the Market Vectors Russia ETF Trust (...

If the conventional wisdom is that refiners equities are usually less bad than other energy stocks when oil prices decline, then it can be argued the nearly 4 percent year-to-date being sported by the Market Vectors Oil Refiners ETF (NYSE: CRAK) is fairly impressive. The gains posted by some...