Vanguard Emerging Markets ETF

• The World's Largest Hedge Fund Prefers ETFs to Stocks

  By Ryan Glosier - June 18, 2013 | Tickers: EEM, SPY, VWO

  The world's largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, is based in Westport, Connecticut, and was founded by super-investor Ray Dalio in 1975. From the firm's headquarters in the heart of hedge fund country, Dalio and his team oversee in excess of $140 billion in investments for institutions such as pensions, endowments and foundations. According to financial blog ZeroHedge, around $61 billion of the assets under management at Bridgewater are more »

• Stock Pundits Are Drug Dealers: It's Time for Portfolio Rehab!

  By Adem Tahiri - May 13, 2013 | Tickers: CLF, VIG, VWO, VB

  Drug Dealers, of all shapes and sizes, prey on the weak and the needy. But before they can sink their claws into their cash cows, they need a drug and an addict. They need that addictive thrill and thrill seeker to exploit.

  I believe the financial media in this country has turned into a Drug Dealer, they’re giving you a short-term thrill and ruining your (financial) health in the more »

• Emerging Market Funds: Vanguard Leads on Transition to FTSE

  By Jordan Wathen - May 1, 2013 | Tickers: EEM, VWO

  Vanguard shook up the fund world when it announced that it would drop MSCI's emerging market index for a FTSE index. The move was intended to cut down on fees investors pay to buy emerging market exposure.

  Vanguard's move to FTSE began Jan. 10, 2013, according to its website. Since then, the move seems to have had little impact on returns.

  Here's a snapshot comparing Vanguard's more »

• Don't Underestimate Europe's Risks

  By Joshua Bondy - March 21, 2013 | Tickers: VXX, UUP, VWO

  Even if they've fallen off the TV news cycle, Europe's economic issues have not disappeared. A number of risk measures point to stresses building up in the continent's financial system. No portfolio can be completely shielded from macro-instabilities, but with a few of the right toos, you can remove some of the risk. 

  What do the numbers show? 

  Interest rates are a rough estimate of risk, since more »

• Petronas Pursues Aggressive Expansion Despite Political Uncertainties

  By Peter Pham - March 9, 2013 | Tickers: SNP, CEO, COP, XOM, EEM, EWM, PRQNF, RDS-A, VWO

  After finalizing the acquisition of Canada’s Progress Energy (PRQNF.PK), Malaysia’s state owned oil and gas firm Petroliam Nasional Bhd, more commonly known as Petronas, is planning to spend as much as $60 billion (RM 186 billion) over the next five years to ramp up the country’s oil and gas sector in a major exploration and production drive. Moreover, it is also expected to spend an additional more »

• Exchange Traded Funds: Still a Good Bet in 2013

  By Kyle Colona - February 25, 2013 | Tickers: VWO, VB, VTI

  This article is a brief primer on exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, and the investment outlook for the coming year of economic uncertainty.

  In 1989, ETFs first appeared in Canada as the Toronto Index Particpation Fund. Four years later, the first ETF touched down in US markets in the form of Standard and Poor’s 500 Depositary Receipts, also known as SPDRs or “spiders.”

  Exchange-Traded Funds are essentially baskets of stocks more »

• Five ETFs to Beat the Markets in the Long Term

  By Andrés Cardenal - September 12, 2012 | Tickers: EEB, QQQ, XLK, VWO, DEM

  ETFs are perhaps the biggest revolution affecting retail investors over the last years. These instruments provide the possibility to diversify your holdings in a very simple and cost effective way, and they are also excellent vehicles to bet on different economic sectors, regions, or investment ideas. Keeping this in mind, here are some interesting possibilities in ETFs positioned to outperform the markets in the long term.

  It would be hard more »

• Back to the Farm for Mahindra

  By Peter Pham - July 24, 2012 | Tickers: F, GM, TM, VWO

  Founded in 1945 as a steel trading company, Mahindra has diversified and grown over time into a $15.4 billion multinational group with more than 144,000 employees in over 100 countries across the globe. As of the end of 2011, the group was comprised of 112 subsidiaries, six joint ventures and 13 associates.

  With a presence in industries as varied as aerospace and agribusiness to automotive and insurance, Mahindra more »

• Stocks that the Highest Paid Hedge Fund Manager Loves

  By Mike Thiessen - July 20, 2012 | Tickers: GE, HPQ, MSFT, SPY, VWO

  Who gets paid the most?  Jim Simons? John Paulson.  Nope.  Ray Dalio is estimated to have made $3 billion in 2011, according to Forbes.  His fund, Bridgewater, has about $120 billion under management.  So what does he hold with all this cash?  Bridgewater Associates, currently has about 260 positions in the market.  Several mammoth positions and a lot of little ones.

  Dalio has 42.3% of his total portfolio invested more »

• Growth and Value in Emerging Markets

  By Andrés Cardenal - May 7, 2012 | Tickers: ECON, SPY, VWO, DGS

  Ignoring emerging markets when it comes to building a portfolio is one of the worst mistakes an investor can make. Developing markets are becoming an increasingly bigger part of the world economy, so from a diversification point of view there are very good reasons to have a healthy proportion of your holdings exposed to these countries. Furthermore, their economic fundamentals are much better than in most developed nations, and valuations more »

• The Case for Emerging Markets ETFs

  By Andrés Cardenal - February 2, 2012 | Tickers: BKF, EEM, VWO, DEM, DGS

  With concerns about what could happen to the global economy and the possibility of a financial crisis in Europe, emerging markets underperformed U.S. markets in 2011. In that context many preferred the safety of well-known U.S. assets, both bonds and stocks. However, things may be starting to change.

  Emerging markets have been going strong in the last month, and that trend could certainly continue if economic fundamentals keep more »

• Transports Suggest Bull Market Still Early

  By Michael Gayed - January 31, 2012 | Tickers: FDX, IYT, DIA, UPS, VWO

  “There can be no doubt that the transportation sector is the most critical sector of our economy.” - Robert Brady

  I get the growing sense that traders and investors really don't know what to do in this market. After all, equities are having their best start to a year in decades, with some emerging markets (NYSEMKT: VWO) up well over 20% for the year (and the year is only four more »

• Coal Ready to Fire Back Up?

  By Michael Gayed - January 16, 2012 | Tickers: IVV, KOL, VWO

  "Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." - Malcolm Forbes

  Despite continued lingering concerns over the recent debt downgrades by S&P of European debt, there does appear to be some kind of return to “normalcy” occurring in stock markets.  I’ve been writing about the idea that we are in for a “Winter Resolution” following the Summer Crash and Fall-Melt Up of last year more »