ETF Investor Guide Data for February 2015

Click below to view the February 2015 Data for the ETF Investor Guide  Click here to download the Excel version. Click here to download a static PDF version.

Market Perspective for February 16, 2015

Over the coming days, the direction of the markets may depend on negotiations with Greece. Finance ministers from the eurozone countries are meeting in Brussels today to hammer out a deal with the country. The parties are taking a hard line publicly, with Greece’s finance minister declaring there are red lines in a New York Times editorial. Arriving at the meeting, Spain’s finance minister said they have a red line too: Greece must pay its debts in full. Meanwhile, Finland indicated the current agreement is the basis for ongoing negotiations. The Irish and Slovakian ministers said another meeting could be held on Friday, signaling that no deal is expected today.

Tough comments for public consumption are to be expected given the domestic opposition to the Greek bailout. In many countries, the initial bailout was extremely unpopular and changing it could cost politicians their jobs. Finland votes in April and one of the opposition parties has already said Greece is the top issue. It’s no different in Greece, where the ruling Syriza party has taken a strong position against austerity and the current bailout terms. It could face political fallout if it is seen buckling to European pressure. Although public comments by ministers aren’t worthless, they are mainly for domestic consumption or negotiating tactics. If there’s no deal today, this week could be filled with strong rhetoric that rattles financial markets, but odds still favor a deal getting done.

The S&P 500 Index and Russell 2000 come into the week at new all-time highs, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average close to a new record and the Nasdaq is at a new 52-week high, though still below its high set in 2000. Small caps have been improving their performance relative to the S&P 500 Index by keeping pace, but have yet to become the market leader. If there’s a deal in Greece this week, traders will bid the market up and we could see the first bull rally this year. If Greece weighs on the market, it may take another week before we see a larger upside move in stocks.

Earnings season is winding down, but this week begins the start of retail earnings, headlined by retail behemoth Wal-Mart (WMT). Deere (DE), Nordstrom (JWN), DirecTV (DTV), Newmont Mining (NEM), Barrick (ABX), EOG Resources (EOG), Marathon Oil (MRO) and Medtronic (MDT) also report during the week.

Economic data will be light, with the minutes of the last Federal Reserve meeting the most important news for the markets. The February homebuilder’s index will get extra scrutiny given the run up in homebuilder shares recently, as will new housing starts in January.

Tap China’s Bond Market With 3 New ETFs

Tap China’s Bond Market With 3 New ETFs

A Seeking Alpha Contribution

Summary

  • Three new ETFs open up China’s onshore bond market to individual investors.
  • CBON offers a longer duration portfolio and a lower yield due to China’s flat yield curve; CHNB has shorter maturity and higher yield.
  • KCNY has the highest yield and shortest duration of the three new funds, but it still yields less than DSUM, a 3-year-old fund covering the offshore bond market.

 A small opening in China’s bond market led to a flurry of activity in the ETF world last year, with three Chinese bond ETFs launching in late 2014. These new funds are trying to grab market share from the largest Chinese offshore bond ETF, the PowerShares Chinese Yuan Dim Sum Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:DSUM), which has faced little competition since its launch in 2011.

Dim sum bonds are renminbi-denominated bonds that trade offshore. Issuers are usually Chinese firms, but there are also foreign companies that have issued renminbi bonds, including McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD)…. To continue reading please, click here.

 

Market Perspective for February 13, 2015

The S&P 500 reached a new all-time high in Friday trading after positive news out of Europe increased market optimism.

Dow components Coca-Cola (KO) and Cisco (CSCO) both reported strong earnings. In particular, Cisco’s turnaround is progressing nicely and although the firm saw sales slip from the prior quarter, they are up strongly year on year. As a major component in many technology funds, the stock’s 9.3 percent advance on Thursday was a big reason why the broader market and technology funds were enjoying a good week.

Retail sales fell 0.8 percent in January as consumers hoarded their gas savings. The drop in sales was mainly due to falling gas prices, but retail sales ex-gasoline was flat. Sales are up 3.3 percent since January 2014 though, showing that spending has increased over the past twelve months. In the short term, consumers have been using their gas savings to continue paying down debt, a trend that has been in place since the 2008 crisis.

There were bright spots in the retail sales report, such as auto sales, which increased 10 percent over January 2014, and food services, which saw an increase of 11.3 percent. The increase in auto sales is good news for automakers as consumers are shifting towards higher margin trucks. That’s a combination that could spell big profits for U.S. automakers this year.

Jobless claims moved above 300,000 last week, but the moving average remains in a steady downtrend over the past 12 months. Winter storms could be responsible for bumping the number up, but the higher figure is still below levels seen in early January.

In Europe, a steady diet of rumored deals surrounding Greece’s bailout kept stocks moving higher, since the news indicated both sides were at least talking. The latest headlines say the Greeks will do “whatever they can” to reach a deal with European creditors. This is a far cry from their comments last week, when they stated they didn’t want any new loans. Similarly, Germany appeared ready to deal with Chancellor Angela Merkel saying compromise is possible. However, both sides are sticking to their positions despite nicer rhetoric, so it’s still unclear what a deal will involve.

The Greeks have more to lose since they want to stay in the euro, so they’re the party most likely to fold. European creditors are also concerned about what a deal will mean for Spain, where the anti-austerity Podemos party is leading ahead of December elections. The Germans appeared ready to let Greece serve as an example to other debtors, and perhaps the Greeks have realized they have the weaker hand. If there is any type of deal, no matter how bad it may be for the long-term, it will be good news for the markets that have partially priced in an immediate crisis.

Europe also benefited from better than expected fourth quarter GDP growth. The eurozone grew at 0.3 percent quarter-on-quarter according to initial figures, with the German exports growing a robust 0.7 percent in the quarter. The eurozone is an oil importer, and the industrial German economy no doubt benefited from both declining oil prices and a lower euro, making their exports more competitive around the globe. The German stock market, measured by the DAX Index, closed at an all-time high on Friday.