Caroline Cakebread

ETF investors and the black swan blues

Having been well schooled in the meaning of the term “black swan event” over the last decade, investors are already peeking around corners and looking for places to hide in case something unexpected pops up to derail the global economy. And, as tensions rise in Ukraine and other areas of the world, investors seem more jittery than ever. So how is all this fear playing out in the exchange-traded fund space? A couple of trends came to light this past week.

  • September 15, 2014 September 13, 2019
  • 10:25

Investors pouring back into Asia

Investors are also showing renewed love for Asia - aside from Japan, Asian emerging markets have drawn investors’ attention as China’s growth outlook improves. That’s coming at the expense of developed equity exchange-traded fund (ETF) exposures - Europe in particular as the region struggles to juice its economy towards growth with little or no luck.

  • September 8, 2014 September 13, 2019
  • 10:27

Three things to know about gold ETFs

Gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) lose their predictive power, leveraged gold ETFs under perform, and other must-read stories about ETFs that track this bright, shiny metal.

  • September 2, 2014 September 13, 2019
  • 11:18

Institutions take ETFs beyond equities

Canada’s biggest investors haven’t wholeheartedly embraced exchange-traded funds (ETFs), but that could be changing, according to a new survey of institutional ETF use by Greenwich Associates. Tough investment conditions and rising interest rates in particular have increased institutional interest in using ETFs to gain exposure to new asset classes—not just equities.

  • August 25, 2014 September 13, 2019
  • 07:05

Skeptics worry about Japan’s ETF strategy

It’s been years now since Japan first initiated its plan to juice up its economy by buying domestic exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Back in 2010, the Bank of Japan started buying ETFs that track the Nikkei Stock Average and the Topix Index. At a time when ETFs were the target of some serious regulatory side-eye post-Flash Crash, Japan’s innovative use of the products as a pillar of Abenomics caught my eye. Four years on, however, and investors are showing their skepticism about the link between ETF inflows and the health of the overall economy.

  • August 18, 2014 September 13, 2019
  • 07:00

U.S. corporate plans outperform public funds in Q2

Significant exposure to equities driving returns.

  • August 12, 2014 September 13, 2019
  • 22:32

ETF investors skip the summer vacation

“I can’t believe it’s almost over!” That's the universal lament I’ve been hearing ever since the calendar ticked over to August 1. Back-to-school ads are on TV and everyone is turning their minds to September. But summer’s not over yet for exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

  • August 11, 2014 September 13, 2019
  • 07:00

ETFs ease pain of rising futures costs

The rising cost of futures trading is a challenge for many investors right now and apparently according to Reuters some large institutions—including endowments and sovereign wealth funds—are turning to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to bring down the cost of trading them.

  • August 5, 2014 September 13, 2019
  • 11:11

“Powerful” dividend story emerging in U.S.

Portfolio manager Jim Morrow says there's one story investors aren't talking about enough: the growing strength of U.S. financials.

  • July 31, 2014 September 13, 2019
  • 11:03

ETF portfolios will drive future growth: report

As investors around the world continue to pour money into exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Canada is following the trend. Last week, BMO Global Asset Management reported that the Canadian ETF market has topped $70 billion—up more than 11% from year-end 2013. And while that’s still a drop in the ocean compared to the $1.1 trillion in Canadian mutual fund assets, there are a few trends bubbling that could mean ETFs gain even more ground in the years to come.

  • July 28, 2014 September 13, 2019
  • 09:55