All Things ETF

I am always trying to come up with new combinations of investments for the next exciting portfolio. Lately, I've been sort of stuck. The norm would be to build something like a QQQ portfolio , a Russell 1000 , or a Russell 2000 portfolio , maybe even a Mid-Cap or Small-Cap portfolio . Boring stuff if you think about it. I could get a little radical and try to build a pop culture type theme portfolio like the Sopranos portfolio , the Donald Trump portfolio - "your fired", or the Obama vs. Dick Cheney portfolio - a long/ short portfolio of course, with lots of defense stocks on the Cheney side of the portfolio. How about a Weapons of Mass Destruction portfolio - that would be a derivatives based portfolio with lots of CMOs'- sub-prime mortgages in the mix. Heh-heh-heh! We could really get creative and produce some wonderful stuff, but I don't know if they would make any money. Or maybe, I could build a portfolio such as a moderate Mid-Cap portfolio and just give it

By Rick Walter I really believe the " new reality " is the " new reality ". The world has gone mad. Why would anyone want to air their personal sex life on TV in front of millions of viewers, as if its a badge of honor. Where do these people come from?

By Rick Walter I have posted a new Biotechnology portfolio . It's total return as of November 25, 2009 is 3.4%. However, to download and use it you will have to subscribe to the portfolio, of course. On an important note, I consider each portfolio to be well diversified in its particular sector but I've recently decided to add stock futures and options positions to each portfolio which will increase each portfolio's return but lower the risks going forward.

By Rick Walter Building a good Biotechnology portfolio has turned out to be a bit of a task. I have one on the table, but feel that it's a little too aggressive and risky, especially for today's market. Funding for most Biotech ventures- old or new, have either dried up or have been put on hold. This portfolio that I am building is too much of a pure Biotech play. It would be feast or famine on the returns. Let me explain. I remember when I was a young broker, I worked for this small outfit in Florida where the office manager and a few other brokers, including myself, would get all pumped up over a stock called Celi. I believe that the stock is now trading on the Amex as (Cel-Sci: CVM ). Well the stock was always on the verge of getting approval for some phase of cancer treatment therapy. Whenever the company released news, we would run the stock up as high as the market makers would let us run it- ($1.30 to $2.30 per share) before we banged it back down to previous lows of .30

By Rick Walter Still working on putting together a strong biotech portfolio. Here is a good general article on the state of the biotech industry that was posted yesterday on the online Wall Street Journal's site- Biotech Stocks Hot Right Now, Ho-Hum in the Long Run.

By Rick Walter I will be posting a New Biotech portfolio later this week. The biotech industry has not quite participated in the huge market rally which started in March of 2009, but this sector may be one of the few sectors that could make the difference in your investment portfolio's total return for the year. Check back later this week for the new biotech portfolio listing and subscribe to make some money.

By Rick Walter Here is an article by Martha C. White on the The Big Money website that supports my claim from my last post on the DOW being too high. " The Dow is Too High ".

By Rick Walter I've been picking up chatter from around the web on the growing concern of the markets continuing to push higher in spite of dismal economic news in the U.S. economy. How is this happening? Trillions of toxic debt still exist on institution's balance sheets, high unemployment, inequitable executive payouts, a ridiculous trade imbalance with our trading partners and on, and on, and on. I can't figure it out. Well, since there hasn't been any clear roadmaps, except for Gov't spending, showing what's responsible for driving the markets higher, it would be a wise choice to rebalance your investments for uncertainty ahead. With inflation possibly looming on the horizon, I believe that Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) may be a good investment at this time; the safest of the safe. What are TIPS ? TIPS are a simple and effective way to eliminate significant risks to fixed income investments such as inflation risk while providing a real ra

By Rick Walter You may still have time to adjust or rebalance your investments before the end of the year. Just do it or call us and I can help you do it now. I just updated our semiconductor portfolio and per previous blog on the industry, it's a tough market out there. Today, Mario Coumo of New York is filing anti-trust charges against Intel. Intel is being charged with taking or paying "kickbacks" under the guise of a rebate scheme. Wow! That's hot news. What does this means for the industry as a whole? Not much. Lol. It's tough to make money in the semiconductor markets, however, I am still positively hopeful my recently posted diversified semiconductor portfolio will make some money. If you are interested in the semiconductor markets subscribe to his portfolio. Recently though, I've been zeroing in on the Alternative Energy and the Renewable Markets because there have been lots of activity going on here. Who said the recession had killed the venture

By Rick Walter Hi everyone! Tune-in to our new financial commentary podcast(audio) series . The goal of our podcast is to help you cut through the clutter of web misinformation by focusing in on specific articles that can help you make timely decision on companies that you may own as investments. The ongoing series will also provide independent analysis on specific industries, and cover important topics that unfold daily with input from heads of local and regional companies that are private and publicly traded. Tune in daily at http://www.ucsinv1.podomatic.com/ .

By Rick Walter New Semiconductor portfolio posted with a tracking start date of 10/17/2009. The portfolio's current return is 1.20% now. Get this portfolio before it becomes pricey.

By Rick Walter Last weekend I worked on a new semiconductor portfolio because I thought that although the price to earnings ratio of many of the companies in the industry are still too high (P/E's of companies in this industry typically runs very high), there still may be an opportunity to take a position in the industry and make some money. Although knowing what companies to buy in this industry may be the ultimate conundrum. This sector is ferociously competitive and over the years even the best companies, such as AMD , Rambus and Novellus Sys have succumbed to the price pressures of the competitiveness in the market. Of course, most of the pressures in this market have stemmed from the relentless drive of Asian chip manufacturers quest to completely dominate the market through a combination of foreign currency exchange rate manipulation of the Renmimbi (Yuan) and cheap labor. Their domination of the markets has also been helped by a global market with an insatiable demand for

By Rick Walter Well, the market has really been showing strength- up over 200 points since October 5, 2009. I think the bulk of the buying are from hedge funds and institutions alike, snapping up assets that they may deem still cheap or it could be because of an overall feeling by market participants that fundamentals are improving as the FDIC gets its Private Public Investment Fund program underway with a recent announcement of multiple bidders for purchase of distressed assets from recently failed banks. However, somewhere and somehow, I still have this feeling of dread. I fully understand that the process of removing distressed assets from banks and other financial institutions balance sheets will allow banks to become more healthy which in turn will help loosen up the credit markets for new deals, which in turn will help revive the economy, but many of these assets are being sold for pennies on the dollar. In addition, there are still so many other technical and fundamental proble

By Rick Walter Good Morning everyone. I was out of the office for a few days but now I am back. Should be updating pages and posting shortly.

By Rick Walter The end of the year is fast approaching and its time to start thinking about doing some investment house-cleaning. Take a look at the total returns of our Moderately Aggressive portfolio posted today. This portfolio has performed very well since April '09 of this year and I expect it to continue to rack up gains as the economy continues to improve. Now, if I were a smart investor I would wait for prices to come back down a little bit before I made a move but the risks are that quality assets, and most fund managers know what they are, could get a bit pricier. Finally, its the beginning of earnings reporting for the third quarter of the year, so we should begin to get a clearer picture of the financial health of many companies. We should keep in mind though that many companies normally report not-so-stellar performances in the third quarter of the year.

By Rick Walter Don't let profit opportunities in the Alternative Energy or Green Energy Sector pass you by. You can make money here. I am posting today, an alternative energy portfolio with a surprise positive total return for the year. I constructed this portfolio earlier this year as the industry began to heat up and its performing extremely well. This portfolio contains 5 top performing funds that invest in core alternative energy companies that produce energy from solar , wind , and bio-fuels . The portfolio is well diversified and has been optimized for an expected annual return of 8%; I believe that this portfolio will out-perform it's individual peers for the remainder of the year and next. It follows a moderate to moderate-aggressive asset allocation model, meaning it's slightly risky. However, I have balanced out the portfolio with a long-term treasury position and some metals to give this portfolio some stability.

By Rick Walter Our Moderately Conservative Portfolio total return as of 9/19/2009 is 6.6% for the year. This portfolio is designed for capital preservation with a majority of income coming from dividend paying stocks or funds.

By Rick Walter Review our list of top portfolios that you can use for retirement, saving, or trading. Each listed portfolio is optimized for maximum performance, updated daily, and balanced to fit a set asset allocation model. You can purchase a portfolio through UCS Investment Co., which comes with our professional money manager service, through ShareBuilder for $4 per position, or Zecco and receive 10 free stock trades per month. Each portfolio can be started with as low as $1,000 per portfolio and no maximums.

By Rick Walter Join me for an online chat on how the Stimulus Bill of '09 can put thousands of dollars in your pocket now and on your tax refund in 2010 at http://www.iapeq.com/fadv/irasplashpage.htm .

By Rick Walter It was the summer of death for many. I say that literally because that is how it seemed. Every other day a really well known person was keeling over, not to mention the scores of regular folks leaving us on a regular basis. Gives me the shivers just thinking about it. I hope the death-letting has subsided for awhile. Well, I am not the only one talking or thinking about death. Did anyone read that article in the New York Times this week, " Wall Street Pursues Profit in Bundles of Life Insurance ". The article briefly implies that some on Wall Street are looking for the next cash cow and are preying on old and sick people by securitizing life insurance policies that focuses in on elderly and really sick people cashing in their life policies for whatever reason- Life Settlements . "The earlier the policyholder dies, the bigger the return — though if people live longer than expected, investors could get poor returns or even lose money." Of course, the a

By Rick Walter Good morning my fellow investors. Hope we all have a great day today. There was a little blood in the streets yesterday, with a broad sell-off across the board. Well, I've been calling for a slight sell-off for about the last month, because its always a good thing for the markets to blow off some steam after rising consistently for so long. You know, you got to keep the bubbles from forming. Further selling depends on how key parts of the U.S. economy continues to recover, which in my opinion is dependent on the manufacturing sector. A report from Automatic Data Processing said the "U.S. private sector shed 298,000 jobs in August, a faster rate of job losses than the 213,000 economist were expecting." Still, not as high as the same time ago last year but pretty substantial. So what are we going to do? A few tips from the wise . Review your investment strategy daily. Avoid going after high fliers. Avoid trading on rumors. Avoid trying to time the bottom. Ma

By Rick Walter It's been 11 days since I've made a post. I must have been in a writer's funk. Ha-Ha-ha. I posted, on 8/18/2009, the total returns for our model portfolios which are based on accepted investor risk profiles with each portfolio following set asset allocation percentages. With the markets steadily moving upwards, it has been easy to make adjustments to each portfolio, taking advantage of the markets climb while avoiding many other riskier assets. I have been projecting a pull-back since last month but no such event has happened yet. However, if you look at the declining yield on the 30 year (long) treasury bond - 4.2833% a week ago to 4.2265% today, it would paint a different picture. What does declining treasury yields mean or suggest for the average investor? Well, it suggests that you should tread carefully because uncertainty is beginning to rear it ugly head, and with uncertainty comes volatility which is followed by market declines or unexplained mark

Portfolio updates based on our Tactical Asset Allocation Model: Conservative - total return as of 8/18/2009: 5.3% Moderate Conservative - total return as of 8/18/2009: 3.9% Moderate - total return as of 8/18/2009: 7.8% Moderate Aggressive - total return as of 8/18/209: 25.2% Aggressive - total return as of 8/18/2009: 14.9% Email or call us to learn more, open an account, invest or subscribe to any one of our great portfolios based on our tactical asset allocation models: 1-800-785-4953 . You can find additional details on these portfolio models at IAPeQ.com . 8/18/2009 11:07 AM

By Rick Walter I was in the midst of researching some emerging market funds, specifically ETF funds that invest in China last week, but the healthcare ruckus kept dominating the headlines and distracting me. I really do not know what to make of it. There is so much confusing information being put out there. So far many of the claims are just over-the-top, gross exaggerations, but some of it is legitimate enough to make you pause and think for a moment. Well fine. However, my greatest beef so far has not been with the idea itself of healthcare reform but the opposition tactics. If the opposition and dissenters- people who are personally against Obama and his policies want to be taken seriously, then they should attend these town hall meetings and wait their turn like everyone else to voice their concerns or they can write or visit their congressman's office. Congress.org got a great website where you can contact your congressman via email or letter. You know what, you actually get

I should be posting more but its still summer, and I am 'blaming it on the alcohol'. Ha-ha. Hung out with an old classmate last night until 2 AM this morning; catching up on where and what we've done so far in life and of course, we were trying to score with hot chicks in the bar. Didn't happen. Lol! I didn't drink much, just a couple of beers, but wow-w, this morning I felt like I had been drinking all night. Mid-afternoon and I am still trying to shake it off. Parsing the Feds- excerpt from August 12, 2009 press release: "Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in June suggests that economic activity is leveling out. Conditions in financial markets have improved further in recent weeks." What does that mean? Hmm! Leveling out, leveling, leveling out. Hmm! Leveling out to or from the sharp 90 degree downward economic spiral that the economy experienced over the last 24 months? OK, the Feds didn't really say much. Meaning, we m

I was perusing through the many web news sites yesterday and I was just amazed at how much news and market stuff, most of it irrelevant, is out there. Wow-w-w! The important news of the day though is that the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee has been meeting since yesterday with an expected policy announcement due today at 2:15 pm. I was surprised again to see the Dow up 135 points as of 10:51 AM. I think what most investors and traders are looking for is an official announcement or wording from the Feds about the current recession's strength whether it was ' ending ', ' ended ' or ' ebbing '. You know a reason to continue buying or start dumping stocks. 8/12/2009 11:02 AM

Good afternoon everyone. Como sea todos. No this is not a Spanish blog, its the AllThingsETF blog , where you get great advice, news and investment ideas on ETFs that have the potential to make you money. I'll be checking around town to see what's cooking in the stock market this week. So far its pretty quiet out there. Stepped out earlier today to run some personal errands and it was like an exercise in wasting gas. Arrgh! I got nothing done.

The markets have fallen back into that tight narrow trading range. Small up days and small down days but it seems any day with a small gain has big positive psychological effects on the psyche of the average investor . I believe that it will stay like this for awhile. I think the run may be over for a minute. Well, if you have not made any money during the Dow's last run then too bad. Just kidding. For those of you who have missed out on the Dow's recent run, I've listed four previous posts on sector ETFs funds that have performed exceptionally well within the last six months. As the summer months grind on, expect more postings identifying ETFs in specific sectors that have the potential to make you money within the remaining six months of the year. Four Energy ETFs- 4 ETF Fund in the Energy Nebulae Three Gas ETFs- Natural Gas Unnatural Rise Five Value ETFs- Quality not Quantity- Large Cap Value ETFs Three Technology ETFs- The Power of Technology It's interesting to

Good Morning everyone. Well it's been a few days, since my last post. Wow! The market keeps going up and up and I am not seeing anything to suggest that it is going to pullback in any major way. Although, I am still predicating a pull-back since last week. However, its just a few sectors such as technology , health care and a recovering financial sector that are really powering the DJIN and the major indexes. In addition, the DJIN Index is not bogged down anymore by two money losing companies- GM and Citigroup ; both were removed from the DJIN Index earlier this year and replaced by Cisco , the largest maker of computer-networking equipment and Travelers , the second biggest commercial insurer. The DOW is now very buoyant and light. Of course there are other reasons why the DOW is rising but we will leave that to another future post. In the meanwhile, tread carefully. 8/04/2009 9:52 AM

Good morning everyone. I did not post anything yesterday. I was feeling sleepy and groggy, ugh- allergies! OK, who cares. Lol. Let's get this show on the road. Today, I am expecting a slight rebound in the markets. The keyword is 'slight'. I believe that the recession is over but many Americans feel that it isn't, even though the current administration has done enough to avoid a worse scenario. I spoke with local real estate economist Todd McKissick who suggested in a series of articles that foreclosures, the health of the corporate credit markets and continuing rise in unemployment may dampen any kind of serious recovery. Although true, the economy as a whole is on the mend. Albeit, it has been a mixed bag by many companies based on the health of the earnings being released this quarter- meaning, it could be worse. Many firms have been able to protect their margins and grow because they have reduced their payrolls, put capital spending projects on hold, and reduced

I am trying to clear the fog from my brain. The brain juices are not flowing today, yet. Another day of earnings announcements; Sotomayer's nomination vote; health care wrangling before the August break and so forth. WSJ Before-the-bell reports a lower opening this morning. As of 10:14 AM this morning the Dow Jones was down about -54 points. I will be focusing on technology sector ETFs today. I found an interesting article on technology ETFs by Deron Wagner , who is looking for technology ETFs to make a pull back . I thought his technical analysis was sound and may be worth a read. 7/28/2009 10:25 AM

Good morning everyone. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Get ready for another crazy week with back to school is right around the corner. WSJ Before-the-bell reports a flat opening with many companies still on tap to report their earnings for the quarter. As I mentioned in my last post on Friday, its a wait-and-see strategy for me, at least for the first few days of the week. Our focus is still in the technology , and pharmaceutical sector with energy stocks not far behind. I will be adding a new format over the next few days with a daily scheduled online web meetings on ETF funds or stocks that we believe have the potential to make you some money or add value to your retirement portfolio. 7/27/2009 9:49 AM

It has been a strong week for the markets. Broad rally across the board pushed indexes higher, although today signaled an easing up on the gas pedal. I have been touting technology funds all week- actually for months but today I got a little comeuppance with technology weighing heavily on the NASDAQ : -7.64 , keeping it slightly in negative territory for most of the day. Microsoft reported earnings yesterday and they were off by 17% which affected the NASDAQ s performance today. However, it seems that investors had already discounted the recessionary effect into the price of the stock. Neither the stock or NASDAQ tanked today. Yeah! I have to say that I don't know what to expect going forward next week. It's a wait-and-see strategy for next week. We could do like ousted Honduran President Zelaya , who today ran a few feet from across the Nicaraguan border to the Honduran border and then back over to the safety of the Nicaraguan border- Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton call

Technology has been nice to investors. However, looking for a little pull-back in the markets sometimes this week or early next week of about 3-4%. But, I could be wrong. The anxiety meter is high this week. Here are three technology funds that are comparable in return, size, holdings, etc. However, one fund stands out from among the rest with a whopping 3 month return of 61.18% . Since the ProShares fund returns 2X the index, you really get a nice return on your money. However, there are many risks to consider when investing in these types of funds at this stage in the game. If you are unsure on where and how to reposition your assets to prevent further losses? We can help you. Our financial planning methods using Exchange-traded funds and careful asset allocation modeling can help you fix or build a financial portfolio that will weather any financial storm and secure your dreams. Get investment advice tailored to your retirement needs from a trusted source. Our asset management se

Good morning investors. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Wow! This summer seems to be flying by. There is so much making news that it's sometimes hard to focus on what needs to be focused on. Well, strong day so far, with technology issues such as CSCO , INTC , ORCL dominating the most Actives, but the most spectacular of all the Actives is the company Human Genome Sciences, Inc : HGSI ; the stock is up 224% on good news of its Lupus drug and of a possible partnership with large deep-pocketed commercial company. Ah, the joys of technology- that's the ticket. Of course, you can get many of the best, quality technology companies in the ProShares Technology Fund which might I say is 6 points above its 30 day moving average of $30 per share. It's made a major breakout. I am still researching three technology ETF funds that I believe will do well and will hopefully have them posted soon. 7/20/2009 1:20 PM

I have one thing to say, do not party too hard during the week. I got home at about 1 am this morning; I had a great time celebrating a friend's birthday last night. Now I can't move this morning. I am dragging my feet. My head hurts a just little. :-) Ow-w! OK , trading volume to pick up today. So far, so good on earnings from companies that are considered bell weather stocks such as GE and BAC . Wall Street Journal before-the-bell report expects a dampened or lowered opening this morning.

Interesting situation today! Yesterday we saw a nice big run up in the markets with Intel reporting better than expected earnings, and now today, two major money center banks also reporting better than expected earnings results. It's a little hard to say if there will be a pullback today. The Wall Street Journal before-the-bell update suggests a flat opening with the pending CIT bankruptcy filing dampening much of the enthusiasm that the markets had yesterday. 7/16/2009 9:19 AM

Good morning everyone. I hope the week is off to a great start for everyone. The confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayer continues for a third day. I am able to watch the hearings on public television throughout the day and they seem to be going well. Republicans senators are really trying to push the envelope, trying to trip the nominee up and force her to make a mistake, but the nominee is having none of it. Expect fireworks today. I can feel the tension oozing out of the TV screen. Go Sotomayer , Go! On a financial markets note, expect a little action in the markets today. I think there is a feeling that although unemployment will continue to rise, the recession has basically ended and the job losses that we are continuing to see is more a matter of businesses repositioning and transforming to compete in a drastically changed competitive environment. Again, I have been touting technology stocks as a good investment because many tech companies, especially the l

Michael Jackson 's Memorial Service was great, for those of you who missed it. Wow! What a send off. Anyways, the market has been trending downward lately with crude oil leading the way. I thought that the big news for me yesterday morning was hearing that the head of the CFTC was considering imposing trading curbs on excessive speculation in energy and commodities . Whoopee! It's about time. I am all about making a buck, but I felt that the energy producers and the large institutions that speculated on oil and gas, which began in 2004, contributed to the price of crude touching $150 per barrel, which caused the price of gasoline to skyrocket and delivered the final death blow to the economy two years ago. I do not believe the U.S. economy can take another hit like that again. However, I believe the industry is still a good bet for long term profits, but not like what we saw years ago. If you want to invest in oil and gas companies and you believe that the industry may still b

OK! I am trying to concentrate but the long shadow of Michael Jackson's fame seems to have enveloped and ate everything in site. Will try to post something of substance today but its going to be tough. Expect another slow day in the markets. Again, emphasis should be put during the summers months on tweaking your asset allocation model, weeding out investments that does not fit your model for success and retirement, and evaluating every and anything -including your investment advisor relationships. It's survival of the fittest portfolios in this market. Is your Portfolio up to the task? This blog is brought to you by: UCS Investment Co . Have you a lost a lot of money in your retirement 403(b) , 401k or IRA ? Are you unsure on where and how to reposition your assets to prevent further losses? We can help you. Our financial planning methods using Exchange-traded funds and asset allocation modeling can help you fix or build a financial portfolio that will weather any financia

Welcome back everyone. I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. It's back to the grind of positioning and selecting assets for strategic and monetary gains. Ha! Stay tuned this week for some exciting ideas on making money in this tough market. 7/6/2008 9:15 AM

I am reading lots of buzz all over the Internet on the rising prices in oil and natural gas assets and I am like here we go again. Yes, oil and gas stock are good investments but we are not running out of oil nor natural gas anytime soon. However, many investors are snapping up oil and gas ETFs like delicious hot pancakes. For example, the recent surge in investor demand for the US Natural Gas Fund , whose net assets has swelled 10 fold as investors snap up the shares, has almost caused the fund to temporarily shut down twice due to lack of shares to sell. There is no reason to load up on oil and natural gas stocks or ETF gas funds yet. Read the recent short term energy report from the Energy Information Administration - Official Energy Statistics from the US Government . The US Gov't is projecting lower demand and lower prices- a possible supply glut . Just in case you still believe that oil and gas stocks are the way to go, here are three natural gas ETFs that you may find inter

I did not post yesterday because it seemed like business as usual. Markets are expected to rise today according to a before-the-bell report listed on the WSJ online . However, the major indexes that represent most aspects of the markets are still trading very tightly. Hardly any buyers; again it seems like there is this shifting of money around- from one account to another. It's funny that when you have a lot of time on your hands that that is the time when you notice things that you may not have noticed before, such as the net assets of many ETFs. They are not increasing! This could be a problem or maybe not. On another note, I still have not answered the question of ' What to buy- foreign or domestic ', from my previous posts on Wednesday June, 24th. I will try to make another attempt to provide some clues today. 7/1/2009 9:15 AM

Tough week ahead. We are heading into the summer months and market performance can really suffer. Lots of stuff happening at home and abroad which may affect your portfolio, retirement and savings. We will be offering lots of ideas and investment strategies that you can use to keep your investments in tip-top shape. Stay tuned. 6/29/2009 9:47 AM

Before I get going today, lets take a moment to honor an American Idol, a Music Titan , and a Perfect Representation of the Gods of Music ; I would like to send my condolences and respect to the Jackson family for the sudden passing of Michael Jackson . I am profoundly saddened by his death. I was trying to ignore the whole event- news of his death . It seemed like some sort of bad dream at first. However, reality has set in this morning and have left me almost speechless. Goodbye Michael! You will always be missed! 6/26/2009 9:41 AM

Calm before the storm. At least that's what I've been reading. It seems that there is still not much buying. Much of the buying seems to be just shifting funds from one account to the next. It's called "churning" in broker turns. So, I wanted to see if anyone was buying, you know, new money. I clicked on over the Investment Company Institute website to see if they could shed some light on this matter. Based on their recent reports, "Estimated inflows to long-term mutual funds were $ 12.48 billion for the week ended Wednesday, June 10, 2009 ", versus $ 13.646 billion for the week of June 3. At least it wasn't negative. There is buying. As a matter of fact, buying has almost doubled compared to inflow numbers reported in May. I also noticed that Equity Foreign Funds had a larger percentage increase than other categories while Taxable Bond Funds had a noticeable percentage decrease in inflows as compared to the previous periods. Interesting. Are in

I have been watching the ProShares Technology Ultra Fund (NYSE ARCA: ROM ) flop around for about the last week, and I have to say its a little frustrating. Arghhh! I am still recommending a buy on the fund with measured accumulation on dips below $32 per share. 6/22/2009 12:39 PM

Good morning investors, welcome to another week of 'All Things ETF', an online for blog for investors wanting to learn how to buy, sell and trade ETF Funds, how to build a retirement portfolio using ETF Funds and specialized investment advice. Our asset management services for businesses includes financial analysis, asset selection, stock selection, plan implementation and ongoing monitoring of investments with you remaining in control of how and when to implement your plan.We bring you diversified investment strategies in any way that you want: Equity Investments, Asset Allocation & Fixed Income, Cash Management, Alternatives, Mutual Funds, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), Retirement Plans, and Separately Managed Accounts.

Its triple witching hour for options. The markets have been trading in a very tight trading band over the last two weeks. It's not even sideways anymore. This is the time that you should be working your investment plan. It feels like everyone is holding their breath, waiting for the next guy to jump in. There's that 'Jaws' music playing in the background again. 6/19/2009 1:19 PM

With so much information coming for everywhere, whom do you trust? Sheesh! Do you buy, sell or hold? What do you buy, sell or hold? Do you run for cover every time the market retreats 100 to 200 points, or do you just throw in the towel and go to high quality bonds. Well, you could lose lot of money in bonds also. Or, you could do like legendary investor Warren Buffet , buy value and stick with the investment as long as the value fundamentals of that investment stays constant over the next five years. One thing is for sure, if you stick to quality and value in this market you may still emerge unscathed. Here is a list of five large-cap value ETFs that deserves a second look. These five large cap value ETFs are about the same in performance, price, return, risks, portfolio holdings, fees and management . 1. Vanguard Value ETF (NYSE ARCA: VTV ) 2. Diamonds Trust ETF (NYSE ARCA: DIA ) 3. iShares Russell 100 Value (NYSE: IWD ) 4. SPDR Dow Jones ETF (NYSE: ELV ) 5. iShares NYSE 100 Index

Volume of the ProShares Technology Fund (NYSE ARCA : ROM ) is heavy today. Now would be a good time to pick up some shares. There is approximately $3 per share profit to be made. On up DOW days the fund will easily trade above $33. 6/17/2009 11:03 AM

Wow! I posted nothing yesterday. I flaked out. The market posted nothing also. It was a nothing day! 06/17/09 07:53:55 AM

The markets have pulled backed sharply today. The DOW was down over 200 points as of 12:17 pm. During the summer months- June, July and August, market activity naturally slows down. This is normally a good time to implement strategy. From a tactical standpoint, you use this time to adjust your existing portfolio and reallocate resources to industries and companies that you believe fits your investment goals. For example, my overall strategy is to focus on companies that we believe will do well in this political environment such as health care, technology, oil, gas and alternative energy, and lastly real estate. Our goals are to look for and build positions in funds that have strong positions in companies with good valuations. That is what I will be working on today. On that note, volume on the ProShares Technology Fund (NYSE ARCA: ROM ) is above average, though the fund is down around 4% today. ProShares also have a short fund to their long fund, the ProShares Ultra Short Technology F

It's good to be back this morning. I hope everyone had a nice restful weekend. Trying to clear the fog from my head and get going. Time to make some money or at least attempt to make some money. Ha! Lakers won! Who didn't see that coming. Stay tuned, will be posting important strategy for the week. 06/15/09 09:18 AM

The markets started strong yesterday then faded, but ended slightly in positive territory yesterday. Again that tug-o-war, and again, we are seeing oil prices skyrocketing for no reason other than greed, in my opinion. As the world largest consumer of energy products, the American consumer is really at the mercy of the greedy oil cartels and now institutional oil traders. It just makes me so angry to see how the markets are so easily manipulated. Oil up again at $73 a barrel by noon yesterday. The ProShares Technology Fund (NYSE ARCA: ROM ) experienced heavy trading but also lost steam in the last 30 min of trading yesterday. Here is a great 2 day technical chart of the fund in a short burst to the upside. Pinpoint the buy signal price if you can. Correction : Barclays Global Investment Unit which includes the iShares portfolio was sold originally to CVC Capital partners for $4.4 billion but Barclays, PLC renegotiated a better deal with US fund manager Black Rock, Inc for $13.5

We are getting some strong action on the ProShares Technology Fund (NYSE ARCA: ROM ). I would just love it if the fund hit a new high of $34 per share today. Overall the market is finding some legs, up 132 points as of 1:28 pm. Some sectors are again getting ahead of themselves, like oil for example. 06/11/09 13:29

May retails sales are due today along with weekly jobless claims. We will see how that information affects markets today. WSJ online before the bell reports a higher opening for stocks today. I am still in the buy mode and will be looking at all options today to maximize trading gains. 06/11/09 08:56 AM

That's how it felt today. The great tug-o-war between the bulls and the bears. A kind of trading malaise have set in and the markets are neither going up nor down. It's like that scene in Jaws (1975) the movie- the idiot mayor refuses to close the beaches for the weekend, but the secret is already out. Everyone knows that there has been a vicious shark attack on one of the beaches. The following weekend, its beautiful, but no one wants to swim because they- tourists know, that there is a great white killer shark lurking somewhere out there. No one wants to get eaten. So it is with this market, no one wants to really commit and buy stocks because they might get eaten by the great white recession. We know the recession is not dead yet. It's still out there. Lurking, waiting to eat you and your portfolio alive. Lol! Where is that dam Police Chief Brody when you need him. All week there has been very good accumulation on the ProShares Ultra Technology Fund ( NYSE ARCA : ROM )

At any given moment during market hours, I am filled with feelings of dread about the US economic system, like its right on the precipice of disaster, and sometimes I feel like its like the fictional Borgs of Star-Trek- Exhibiting a "rapid adaptability to any situation or threat, with encounters characterized by matter of fact imperative 'resistance is futile'." Expecting a strong market rally today. WSJ Online before the bell gives a good synopsis of what to expect today. Commodities and oil will be up today after an overnight jump in oil and commodities prices overseas. Still convinced that the drivers behind the volatile commodities jumps are mostly related to huge institutional buying and selling- aka trading, and nothing to do with the cost of producing and selling the commodities. Still looking for a good entry point in our favorite fund the ProShares Technology Fund today. Will keep you posted on any new developments. 06/10/09 09:43 AM

The ProShares Technology Fund traded briskly again in the last few hours of the trading day. Volume was a little over 199,900 shares. I got a good strong buy signal on the fund today at a share price of $32.08, my desired entry point, instead I got greedy and decided to wait for a better price. WRONG! Fund price consolidated and headed higher for a high of $33.00. Greed is not good! I will try again tomorrow. On another note, I've added the iShares Pharmaceutical Fund to our daily watch list. I am not to keen on the iShares etf products because they have performed so horribly. However, since the entire portfolio was sold to CVC Capital Partners for $4.4 billion, I believe the funds maybe making a comeback, a performance comeback I mean. Volume was almost non-existent on the iShares Pharmaceutical Fund, with under 25,000 shares traded today. I am not sure if I should recommend shorting this fund or buying it. I guess that's why its on the watch list. 06/09/09 09:03 PM

Another possible flat day. WSJ Journal Market Roundup gave no indications of anything major happening to shake the markets up. However, the government wholesale inventories report for April is due to be released today if not already. Volume on the ProShares Technology Fund has been average so far today. Also, I will be looking for an entry point in the fund today. 06/09/09 10:19 AM

30 mins before close and the fund made a run. OK, I missed the boat on this short run to the upside on the ProShares Tech Fund. I was looking for an entry point all day. A nice RSI- Fast Stochastic pattern flashed between 1 pm and 2 pm and I just ignored it for some reason. I am paying for the mistake. A buy of 1000 shares at $31.50 this morning and subsequent sale this afternoon at $32.50 would haved given me a profit of 1.00 per share and would've netted me $1000 today. 06/08/09 03:37 PM

Looks like the fund's share price is firming up a bit. Volume steady now at 151,622 shares. This morning the fund's price was jumping all over the place. I couldn't get a good feel for an entry point. The big Steve Jobs appearance did not happen. The short sellers were right there waiting, circling like sharks. Ready to sell. Ready to kill the small investor. Be careful. 06/08/09 02:09:07 PM

Nothing, nada! The markets are down today. So much for the Apple bounce. Average volume on the ProShares Technology Fund with 63,701 traded so far. Recently, a huge trade came over at around 10:40 am- the offer price about 38,500 shares on an offer of $31.25. I am also looking at my Level II screen- the bid and offer spreads are averaging around .05 cent to .19 cents. Nothing poppin off yet. Might be a good time to start setting up some trading strategies for the week on the fund. 06/08/09 10:58:43 AM

I just had to post this. It looks like we could get a bounce in the ProShares Technology Fund on Monday. There is some buzz building on Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive return . The company is having their annual developer conference starting Monday, and according to industry watchers an appearance by Mr. Jobs would give Apple's stock a bounce by 1 to 5%. Apple Inc. is is one of the larger holdings in the ProShares Tech Fund and if the news hold true could push the fund's share price over the $33 range, or maybe not. If you are interested in trading in this fund, would like a prospectus or have a question concerning this fund call me for a free no cost consultation at 770-572-2715. Please note: You should seek professional advice before implementing any of the strategies discussed herein, since: (1) The strategies are general in nature and will not apply to every situation; (2) Other opportunities may be better suited to your particular needs; and (3) The rules and

We are coming down into the home stretch. The ProShares Technology Fund had a stable ride this week. Volume hit 305,520 shares as of 4:51 pm. If you are trading, take some profits off the table, who knows what Monday is going to bring. Next week, I hope to have some exciting ideas for trading, making money in ETFs and preserving capital for retirement. Otherwise have a GREAT WEEKEND everyone! 06/05/09 03:52 PM

The ProShares Technology Fund is trading real heavy this morning with a 148,000 shares traded as of 10:15 am. Heavy selling as traders take profits in a period of uncertainty. Do you take profits now, since it looks like the bloodletting in the labor market is coming to a an end, or do you wait and continue to let the markets rise knowing there are still so much negatives out there. Hey traders, let the fund run! Let the 'green shoots' continue to grow! 06/05/09 10:54 AM

Unemployment numbers are out and they are not bad. The WSJ online report gives a good positive roundup. Let's see what the market does from here. 06/05/09 10:00 AM

Volume is picking up some. Good size buy trade of about 10,000 shares on the ProShares Technology Fund bumping the fund from session price lows of $31.32 per share to 31.71 per share. Someone is finally committing. 06/04/09 01:42:16 PM

I mentioned in a previous morning post that you should take some profits in commodities, if you had a commodity position in your portfolio. There was commodity related articles all over the news boards yesterday. I did a commodity podcast in January '09 on the iShares S&P GSGI Commodity Fund , GSG . That fund was down a little under 2% yesterday experiencing heavy trading volume. I had recommended that investors stay away because GSG is down almost 75% or more since inception. It has made a little comeback, doubling in value since April 27, 2009, but don't be fooled by the bounce. I still think this fund is a dud! I still say take profits in commodities if you can and avoid shorting commodities unless you absolutely know what you are doing! 06/04/09 01:26 PM

Today could be a pivotal trading day. Sobering news from Mr. Bernanke yesterday doused the flames of a budding market rally. Its all good though. ProShares Technology Fund head back into positive territory trading above $31 per share. Volume as of 11:11 am is around 76,000 shares. I am looking at the Nasdaq Level II Book Viewer and Buy orders are still outpacing Sell orders. In order to see a big jump in price on this fund the buy to sell order ratio needs to be over 50%. 06/04/09 11:18 AM

Running late this morning. I had to get in a late morning jog. Posting shortly.

I tuned into the House Budget Committee Webcast, Challenges Facing the Economy: The View of the Federal Reserve . It was very interesting, with serious accusatory questioning by some committee members. However, Mr. Bernanke handled himself well. I came away with a few positives and many negatives such as: inflation is not a problem yet, the probability of deflation has decreased, the Fed's borrowing is lower today than in the past, and so far the stimulus money has been effective in infrastructure spending and transfer payments. However, the threat of a recession relapse is still possible, higher medical cost and social security depletion, caused by baby boomers retiring, could be problem sooner than later, and taxes may have to be increased to balance the budget. Since this is not an economic analysis blog per se, detailed analysis of the Chairman's statements will be left to another blog or person. What Mr. Bernanke testimony meant for me as a financial advisor going forward

Could be another twiddle-your-thumb day. Wall Street Journal before the bell update suggest a slow start with some new economic data being released and with Chairman Bernanke testifying before the House Budget Committee today. Do you buy, hold or sell? If you are buying, what do you buy? If you are selling, what do you sell? And if you hold, what are you holding? Here is my take on three industries. Technology : Buy - most technology companies are flush with cash are weathering the recession well. Commodities : Sell - take profits; most commodity funds are up 20% or more. I am still angry over oil and gas spectacular collapse in '07 and '08. I have volumes of articles, research, and data that suggest that there was some sort of shortage. In fact, we were not even close to a shortage. The entire market was being manipulated. Real Estate : Hold - Most real estate funds, companies, and reits have been beaten down mercilessly, there is still a lot of bad paper on and off the mark

UCS ETF end-of-day update : Neutral. As I predicted with a slight variation. It was an unremarkable trading day yesterday. I get the feeling that managers want a reason(s) to buy but may be wondering if it may be too late. I know that question has to be on the forefront of many money mangers mind. The ProShares Technology Fund kind of held its own; share volume as of 3:42 pm yesterday was a little over 310,000 shares. Again, not the kind of volume that we are looking for as a trader but for a buy-and-hold account its all you need. 06/03/09 07:33:52 AM

UCS ETF update : Fading to neutral. The ProShares Technology Fund share volume is still heavy. Over 200,000 shares traded so far, but sell orders are dominating the session as the DOW tapers off. I am in at $31.50 a share with share price currently trading at $31.11. The ratio of Buy orders to Sell orders has not been above 30% since 10:30 am. Could see the fund closing at yesterday lows. 06/02/09 11:59:46 AM

06/02/09 09:54:27 AM Quick update : There may be strength in this rally. DOW opened down 44 points but has muscled its way back to positive territory, up 16 points so far. Hmm! Still not ready to jump in.

06/02/09 08:52:26 AM UCS trading-ahead update : I am sitting here thinking that the markets have moved up substantially since March, 2009. Will they go higher? I want to believe that the markets will go higher, but that voice in the back of my head is still saying it's too soon; the fundamentals in many sectors are just not there yet; inflation is still lurking; trillions of dollars that have gone up in smoke just does not reappear overnight. Not too long ago, I was considering the short etf funds as viable investment alternatives, like the ProShares Ultra Short Financials or the ProShares Ultra Short Real Estate , but so far their results have not been stellar (literally) in these Short funds . I respect the markets and I just believe that when you are going short you've got to have a stomach of a 'billy goat', cause its going to be rough climbing to get to the nice grass. I may consider taking a position in the ProShares Technology Fund today. It all depends on the