Active ETFs Still Leading Passive Rivals

The last time we did a scorecard of how the first set of active stock exchange-traded funds was performing came just after the trio had hit the ripe old age of three months. Since that time, one other has appeared—the PowerShares Active U.S. Real Estate Fund (NYSEArca:PSR - News). But the beat remains the same. Namely, the active stock ETFs are still running ahead of their closest passive competitors, in some cases by as much as 5 percentage points.That comes after similar patterns of outperformance in the second half of 2008. (See earlier "Active ETFs Opening With A Bang" here.)Although the period studied this time—the past three months and yearly through last Friday—is quite short, we intend to keep monitoring the emergence of active portfolios in the ETF marketplace. As such, this report isn't intended as a summary of these funds' pluses and minuses. Instead, we're trying to keep a running tally of how they're doing using different snapshots in time as reference points.No doubt the list will grow. But for now, PowerShares remains the only provider so far to venture onto the market with actual "active" monikers (although several new filings have come out).With the this week's news that SPA is going to close its MarketGraders funds, six of the mo...
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FIDELITY COMMONWEALTH TRUST Financials

Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Send Feedback Quotes delayed, except where indicated otherwise.Delay times are 15 mins for NASDAQ, 20 mins for NYSE and Amex. See also delay times for other exchanges.Fundamental company data provided by Capital IQ. Quotes and other information supplied by independent providers identified on the Yahoo! Finance partner page. Quotes are updated automatically, but will be turned off after 25 minutes of inactivity. Quotes are delayed at least 15 minutes. Real-...
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Attack Of The ETFs

Despite last year's market crash, there were 160 new exchange-traded funds launched vs. the introduction of just 21 new mutual funds. At the same time, in 2008, net inflows into U.S. equity exchange-traded funds were a positive $120.8 billion vs. $162.4 billion net outflow for U.S. equity mutual funds, says TrimTabs. ETFs keep gaining market share at the expense of mutual funds. Since their introduction in 1993, ETFs have exploded in popularity. As of early 2009, there are now 737 ETFs offering diverse investment strategies, everything from shorting gold to going long on Malaysia. Already "actively" managed ETFs have made their way onto the scene. From 2005 through 2008, ETF assets rose 77% while non-ETF mutual fund assets climbed 9%. ETFs now account for a whopping 40% of all index fund market share. By some estimates, worldwide ETF assets, now at $725 billion, should eclipse $1 trillion within two years. It seems ETFs are taking Jack Bogle's index mutual fund religion to the extreme. Until recently, fund companies argued that ETFs were merely tools for hedge funds and other institutions. However, ETFs with their liquidity, transparency and cost efficiency are making their way to frontline investors. In fact, among a recent survey of Registered Investment Advisors by Charles Schwab, a full 79% say they now look to ETFs as their top investment vehicles for their clients.The question for firms that rely on assets in actively managed mutual fund firms is how to compete and regain their luster during this attack of the ETFs. The first line of counter attack will employ the "if you can't beat em, join em" approach. Expect more mutual fund shops to offer ETFs themselves to investors. Already, of course, companies like Vanguard are very actively involved in dishing up a wide array of ETF products. Vanguard, which launched its first ETF in May 2001, now has $45 billion in ETF assets. And it's continuing to roll out new products: Its 39th ETF--the Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-U.S. S...
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4 Portfolio Strategies for a Volatile Market

SAN DIEGO (ETFguide.com) - After experiencing all of the ups and downs of the stock market, do you ever get the feeling like you're on a ship that's about to sink? If so, you're not alone. As of late, we've seen volatile stock trading sessions with one day percentage swings between 1 to 5 percent. In the past that may have seemed abnormal, but it's become today's new normal.In a little more than one month, we've seen the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSEArca: DIA - News) trade down to 6,440 from 7,550 and then rebound to 7,800. The S&P 500 stock index (NYSEArca: SPY - News) went from around 800 down to the forsaken 666 number and then up to 823. Interestingly, the NASDAQ Composite Index (NasdaqGM: ONEQ - News) which is typically the more volatile stock index of the three has been the most stable. The NASDAQ's good performance is largely due to recent rise in technology stocks ...
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Is Your Portfolio Ready for the Next Leg Down?

SAN DIEGO (ETFguide.com) - Is the worst over? It's an open-ended question that solicits many diverse opinions but none that yields any clear answers. And no matter how good the thesis sounds about which way the market is headed, the future is forever unknowable. What does this mean for your investment portfolio? Not knowing the future is hardly an endorsement for leaving your investments up to chance.Even during difficult economic periods and directionless markets, it's possible to achieve profitable results. For example, four of ETFguide.com's live model ETF portfolios have outperformed major benchmarks like the S&P 500 (NYSEArca: SPY - News) and the MSCI EAFE Index (NYSEArca: EFA - News) on a year-to-date basis. What does it prove? Getting the correct mix of assets inside your portfolio still works. Desirable results don't typically happen by accident.What can you do to prepare your money for the next market decline? Let's evaluate three simple strategies.Avoid Financial Puberty'Financial puberty' is a term I invented to describe a state of financial immaturity that prevents people from prospering. The three main aspects of financial puberty are: 1) Having behavioral dis...
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Fidelity® Nasdaq Composite Index® Tracking Stock to Declare Distribution

®®® Tracking Stock (NASDAQ: ONEQ - News) will declare a quarterly distribution payable to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 22, 2009. The amount of such distribution will be determined after the close of the market on September 17, 2009. The dividend will be paid on September 25, 2009. Fidelity Investments is one of the world's largest providers of financial services, with assets under administration of more than $2.9 trillion, including managed assets of $1.4 trillion as of July 31, 2009. Fidelity offers investment management, retirement planning, brokerage, and human resources and benefits outsourcing services to over 20 million individuals and institutions as well as through 5,000 financial intermediary firms. The firm is the largest mutual fund company in the United States, the No. 1 provider of workplace retirement savings plans, the largest mutual fund supermarket and a leading online brokerage firm. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit www.fidelity.com. ETFs are subject to market fluctuations of...
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WisdomTree Narrows Breakeven Gap To $2.4 Billion

After a $1 billion increase in assets and flat expenses in the second quarter, WisdomTree Investments is now estimating it needs about $2.4 billion more in assets under management in order to break into profitability. The forecast by the exchange-traded funds sponsor and index provider came before markets opened on Friday during a conference call with analysts and investors regarding the recently ended quarter.The night before, WisdomTree released its full earnings report for the quarter, highlighted by a nearly 28% reduction in losses from the same period a year earlier to $5.2 million. (For a full report on the firm's second-quarter results, see story here.)Amit Muni, WisdomTree's chief financial officer, noted Friday that assets currently are around $4 billion at the firm. Based on cost and fee structures, he estimated that in order to gain profitability, the New York City-based asset manager needs to attract some $6.4 billion in total assets.That would leave a gap of around $2.4 billion for WisdomTree to break into the black. In the previous quarter, Muni had estimated that shortfall to be about $3.7 billion in total assets.Along those lines, the company has received an increased level of questioning from investment bankers and other financial representatives lately regarding either partnerships or taking some form of equity stake, said WisdomTree Chief Executive Jonathan Steinberg.WisdomTree has been widely rumored in the past to be a hot takeover target by larger asset managers. Steinberg has been quite open that while the f...
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Fidelity® Nasdaq Composite Index® Tracking Stock Declares Quarterly Income Dividend

®®® Tracking Stock (NASDAQ: ONEQ - News) will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share from net investment income. The dividend will be paid on Friday, September 25, 2009 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Tuesday, September 22, 2009. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 18, 2009. Fidelity Investments is one of the world’s largest providers of financial services, with assets under administration of $3.0 trillion, including managed assets of more than $1.4 trillion as of August 31, 2009. Fidelity offers investment management, retirement planning, brokerage, and human resources and benefits outsourcing services to over 20 million individuals and institutions as well as through 5,000 financial intermediary firms. The firm is the largest mutual fund company in the United States, the No. 1 provider of workplace retirement savings plans, the largest mutual fund supermarket and a leading online brokerage firm. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit www.fidelity.com. ETFs are subject to market fluctuation...
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