2013 was a good year for most ETFs. Has been for the whole year. This would be because it was a good year for most major indices and thus is the nature of ETFs. Here at Equities.com, we’ve been closely following the most actively-traded ETFs for you, following their movement and breaking them open to give you a better look at what makes up the funds you’re trading.
In case you missed it, here’s some of the best work we’ve been doing about ETFs:
Breaking Open the Industry Leaders
Some of the most popular ETFs move an average of tens of millions of shares a day, but it’s entirely possible that many of the people trading them aren’t as familiar with the components of the fund. We’ve dug into some of the more-popular ETF plays to ensure that you have a better sense of what’s in what you’re buying and selling.
–SPDR S&P 500 ETF ($SPY)
–iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index ETF (EEM)
–Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF ($GDX)
–SPDR Financial Select Sector ETF ($XLF)
Our ETF coverage has also contained a closer look at a variety of other sectors and subjects, including what the popular VIX index really is and is not (as well as some of the ETFs people use to trade it), how tech ETFs often have more exposure to a handful of industry giants than investors might realize, which utilities ETFs one can use to make a more defensive play, and even some health care ETFs one could use to make an Obamacare play.
A Chicken in Every Pot, and a SPDR ETF in Every Sector
For the novice ETF investor, we’re also taking a broader look at trading ETFs, including the major sector-specific ETFs offered by industry leader State Street’s (STT) SPDR Funds.
Beating the Best Mutual Funds
Equities.com’s Research Analyst Nicholas Bhandari has a need. He has a need for lower expense ratios. In his series, Beating the Best Mutual Funds, he’s taken a look at how any investor willing to put in the extra work can find a basket of ETFs that can match the performance of the most popular mutual funds at a much lower expense ratio.
–How Investors Can Maximize Their Returns Through ETFs
–Fidelity Four in One Fund (FFNOX)
–Fidelity Growth Company Fund (FGCKX)
–American High-Income Trust (AHITX)
–Fidelity Floating Rate High Income (FFRHX): Part I
–Fidelity Floating Rate High Income (FFRHX): Part II
–Fidelity Inflation-Protected Bond Portfolio (FINPX)
–Goldman Sachs ($GS) Absolute Return Tracker C (GCRTX)
The Miraculous (and Micraculously Abrupt) Rise and Fall of EEH
Late September and early October saw one very specific ETN, tracking a specific leverage index, inexplicably spike in value by over 500 percent, then almost immediately shed that value over the next month. The note was trading at a huge premium on its assets, and we here at Equities.com tried to get to the bottom of why it was happening.