powershares

Defensive stocks and sectors have been in vogue this year, a theme that is benefiting the consumer staples sector in a big way. Among traditional sector exchange traded funds, the Consumer Staples Select Sect. SPDR (ETF) (NYSE: XLP) is one of the year's best with a gain of 11.2 percent. It's...

The $4.2 billion PowerShares FTSE RAFI US 1000 (ETF) (NYSE: PRF) debuted over a decade ago. Today, PRF is widely considered one of the forefathers of the booming smart segment of the exchange-traded funds industry. Perfecting Old School With PRF PRF follows the FTSE RAFI US 1000 Index, which...

More than halfway through 2016, it probably is no longer surprising to investors that among equity exchange-traded funds, dividend and low volatility strategies are working. So it stands to reason that the combination of those strategies should be proving particularly efficacious. That is what the...

One of the most prominent themes in the world of exchange-traded funds this year is investors' love affair with low volatility strategies, including the iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA ETF (iShares Trust (NYSE: USMV)) and the PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio (PowerShares Exchange-...

The combination of the utilities sector ranking as easily the best-performing sector this year, interest rates that appear to be remaining low for the foreseeable future and investors' overt preference for defensive sectors, it stands to reason that some market observers view utilities stocks...

Corporate America is continuing its share buyback binge, but there has not been a trickle-down effect to exchange-traded funds employing repurchases as part of their weighting methodology. For example, the PowerShares Buyback Achievers Fund (ETF) (NYSE: PKW) is off a third of a percent year-to-date...

Perhaps the biggest reason investors embrace real estate investment trusts (REITs) is for the above-average yields. These days, finding income-generating assets with yields that beat the 1.6 percent on 10-year Treasurys is not difficult. Even some traditional REIT exchange-traded funds yield north...

Nearly six months into 2016, many investors know the deal with utilities stocks. The sector with a reputation for lulling the investment community to sleep is, in a good way, betraying that reputation. Just look at the Utilities SPDR (ETF) (NYSE: XLU). XLU, the largest utilities exchange-traded...

In the wake of the disappointing May jobs report, which significantly reduced the chances of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates this month or next month, data suggest investors are renewing their affinity for emerging markets exchange-traded funds. The same is certainly true when it comes...

Emerging markets sovereign debt and the corresponding exchange-traded funds are viewed as vulnerable to hawkish changes in U.S. interest rates. With the Federal Reserve perhaps nearing a rate hike sometime over the next two months, some market observers are betting this time will be different for...

Investors continue hunting for yield, and with the Federal Reserve pausing on hiking interest rates to this point in 2016, some previously beloved high-yield asset classes that came under pressure amid last year's rate hike speculation are again being embraced. Floating Rate Notes, Senior Loans...

This year, investors are hearing plenty about the resurgence of the value factor and the reemergence of emerging markets equities and exchange-traded funds. On that note, it would appear logical that marrying those two themes would be rewarding. The PowerShares FTSE RAFI Emerging Markets Portfolio...

Among investment factors, the growth, low volatility and value factors are capturing most of the headlines this year. Growth and value because the latter is trumping the former for the first time in several years. Low volatility because that factor is reigning supreme this year. That does not mean...

Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs said corporate buybacks are, at the moment, the only source of demand for U.S. stocks. That is not a bullish statement, but S&P 500 companies remain enthused by their own shares. In the fourth quarter, measured as November through January, share repurchases...

Many income investors are seduced by high dividend yields, and it is easy to understand why. Yields on 10-year Treasurys are around 1.8 percent. The S&P 500 yields less than 2.2 percent on a trailing 12-month basis, so it is not surprising that investors gush for stocks and dividend exchange-...