S&P Dow Jones Indices

Despite all the commotion about this being a good year for commodities, the iShares S&P GSCI Commodity-Indexed (ETF) (NYSE: GSG) is flat year-to-date. That condition is unlikely to persist after the results of Tuesday's presidential election start trickling in. The Climate As has been...

When it comes to dividends, there is something to be said for consistency, a virtue accessible by myriad exchange-traded funds. That includes the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NYSE: NOBL). Slow And Steady Wins The Race NOBL tracks the S&P Dividend Aristocrats Index, which...

Dividend investing is usually most effective long-term holding periods, but knowing that is only half the battle. With so many dividend exchange-traded funds on the market, selectivity is key even for investors looking to buy-and-hold. The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NYSE: NOBL...

A common knock on low volatility exchange-traded funds is that these products are often heavily allocated to the consumer staples or utilities sectors or both. A common knock on those sectors, aside from criticisms regarding frothy valuations, is that those groups are inversely correlated to rising...

When it comes to individual countries and dividends, the United States is the undisputed leader. Outside the United States, the U.K. is probably the first country that comes to many investors' minds regarding dividends and dependable payout growth. With so many ex-U.S. developed markets...

With bond yields low in the United States and negative interest rates permeating much of the developed world to the tune of over $10 trillion negative-yielding sovereign debt, dividend stocks continue to matter. There is no shortage of exchange-traded funds with which to accomplish the goal of...

Oil's price action can have predictable influences among some exchange-traded funds. For example, it is arguably of little value at this point to tell investors that Canada and Russia ETFs are highly sensitive to oil prices. Likewise, the argument in favor of consumer stocks and ETFs in a low...

The combination of interest rates remaining lower for longer and investors demanding more income and yield have been driving forces behind the resurgence of municipal bond exchange-traded funds this year. One thing fixed income investors have heard plenty about for over a year now is the impact of...

Fixed income exchange-traded funds are providing investors with plenty of excitement this year, most of it good, but the usual view of bond funds, particularly those holding U.S. Treasurys, is that these are boring instruments. Boring can be beautiful. The returns offered by a number of bond ETFs...

The technology sector, the largest sector weight in the S&P 500, is an increasingly important part of the dividend conversation. That is especially true at a time of piddly yields on U.S. Treasurys and slowing dividend growth. In addition to being one of the biggest contributors to the buyback...

Underscoring the strength of real estate investment trusts (REITs) this year and the corresponding exchange-traded funds, eight such ETFs hit all-time highs Tuesday. In November 2014, the S&P Dow Jones Indices and MSCI, two of the largest providers of benchmarks for exchange-traded funds, said...

Preferred stocks and the relevant exchange-traded funds are once again a popular destination for income investors thanks in large part to the Federal Reserve continually holding off on raising interest rates to this point in the year. High Quality Preferred Joins BATS Relative to other corners of...

Commodities are on the mend. That much is confirmed by the year-to-date performance of the PowerShares DB Com Indx Trckng Fund(ETF) (NYSE: DBC) and other diversified exchange-traded products. DBC is up 15.3 percent this year. Mending Commodities Some individual commodities, namely energy and...

Oil prices are on the mend this year, but the United States Oil Fund LP (ETF) (NYSE: USO) would need to more than triple to sniff its 2014 highs. USO, which tracks front-month West Texas Intermediate futures, would need to nearly quadruple to come within striking distance of its 2012 highs. Heading...

Income investors are loving life in 2016. The Federal Reserve has yet to raise interest rates, and with each passing month without a rate hike, it appears increasingly likely that the most rate hikes coming this year will be two. Predictably, this scenario has been a boon for plenty of income-...