low volatility

In addition to low volatility, the quality factor is the investment factor garnering the most headlines this year, as investors continuing displaying a preference for consistency and dependability over higher beta fare. While different issuers of exchange-traded funds may have varying definitions...

Foreign equities, even some hailing from developed markets, have a tendency to be more volatile than their U.S. counterparts. Combine that with the perception that global equity market volatility is high this year, and it is easy to understand why many investors are extending their preference for...

Among the various, widely followed factors — size, value, high yield, low volatility, quality and momentum — there is no doubt that low volatility is this year's king. Flows data support that assertion as U.S. equity low volatility strategies, such as the iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol...

Investors are hearing plenty this year about the potency of the low volatility and how strongly dividend stocks are performing. As has been noted, the combination of those two themes is proving particularly rewarding. Just look at the Legg Mason Low Volatility High Dividend ETF (NASDAQ: LVHD)....

Approximately 200 exchange-traded products came to market in the United States in 2015. Many are still trying to catch investors' eyes and assets. A far smaller amount is thriving, making residents of that category particularly notable. That category includes the O’Shares FTSE U.S....

Low volatility and momentum are two widely followed investment factors, but rare are the occasions that these two factors meet and stand as the primary factors under the umbrella of a single exchange-traded fund. That changed a bit Thursday with the debut of the PowerShares DWA Momentum & Low...

Low volatility exchange-traded funds are garnering plenty of attention this year, but investors should note the advantages of the low volatility factor are not confined to U.S. borders. That reminder is particularly important post-Brexit, as some investors are looking to maintain ex-U.S. developed...

The low volatility phenomenon is enthralling investors this year, and inflows to U.S.-focused low volatility exchange-traded funds confirm as much. However, the low volatility factor's utility is not confined to U.S. borders. Nearly half of the world's combined equity market capitalization...

Not that they were on the fringe in the past, but the status of low-volatility exchange-traded funds as mainstream, core holdings has been validated this year as investors pour billions of dollars into these funds that eschew volatile stocks. The PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio (...

Take a poll of investors who are familiar with low-volatility exchange-traded funds, of which data suggest there are plenty, and ask those investors what sectors they would use to build a new low-volatility ETF. Chances are those polled would say a low-volatility ETF should include consumer...

It is not a stretch to say advisors and investors are fond of low volatility exchange-traded funds. However, the popularity of the low volatility strategy under the ETF umbrella also serves as a reminder to investors that in financial markets, there is no such thing as a free lunch. The biggest...

Maybe it is a case of not letting exchange-traded funds such as the PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio (PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II (NYSE: SPLV)) have all the fun, but emerging markets equivalents are joining their U.S.-focused low volatility counterparts in...

As the universe of currency hedged exchange-traded funds has experienced exponential growth, issuers of such products are offering increasingly refined ETFs, including low volatility and dividend funds. Add global real estate to that list. WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (NASDAQ: WETF), the fifth-...

There is an increasing number of ways to approach smart or strategic beta methodologies in the world of exchange-traded funds. Some critics would argue the universe encompassing strategic beta is becoming unwieldy and too complex for many advisors and investors to digest. What cannot be debated is...