All Things ETF

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...