All Things ETF

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...