Global X proposes new sector funds for China, as well as seven new single-country emerging markets ETFs. 

Exchange-traded fund provider Global X Funds filed a prospectus on Sept. 10 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to launch six new ETFs, which will track different sectors of the Chinese economy.

The funds are: Global X Consumer, Global X China Energy, Global X China Financials, Global X China Industrials, Global X China Materials and Global X China Technology.

The funds will be 80 percent invested in American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts, and 20 percent invested in swaps and options contracts.

The funds will employ strategies to replicate to 95 percent accuracy the performance of the underlying FTSE-created sector-specific indexes they follow after fees and expenses, and will issue creation units in blocks of 50,000 shares. Global X did not mention what management fee would be charged for investing in the funds.

The new ETFs are

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At a time when too much debt on the part of everyone from homeowners to hedge funds brought the world financial system to the brink, you’d think “leverage” would be a four-letter word. But if the explosive growth of leveraged exchange-traded funds is any indication, it seems like investors just can’t get their hands on enough money in order to boost returns.

True, leveraged ETFs offer a cheap, liquid and transparent way to double- or even triple-down on the movements of their underlying indexes — both long and short — but they are unsuitable or even dangerous if you don’t understand the product.  Unfortunately, most regular folks just don’t.

“For the most part leveraged ETFs are completely inappropriate vehicles for individuals,” says Maury Fertig, partner at Relative Value Partners, an independent investment advisor in Northbrook, Ill. “They have to be constantly evaluated. It’s

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The Euro Shares ETF broke through what some technical investors have called an important price threshold Wednesday, trading at $138.13, up $1.78, or 1.3%……

……”The recent spike is an encouraging sign, and it’s not too late to take part,” said Tom Lydon, an investor and founder of the ETF Trends newsletter……

……Other experts believe that caution is in order for those wanting to make a play in the ETF based on the euro dollar. “The EU still has member nations that are in serious trouble,” said Ron DeLegge, editor of ETF Guide, who urged investors to be wary of the fundamentals.

Full Story: http://www.thestreet.com/story/10503810/1/euro-funds-etf-spikes-some-urge-caution.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN

I keep reading articles about how “buy-and-hold is dead.” That’s laughable. If there were ever a time for buy-and-hold, that time is now.

The latest salvo comes from Tom Lydon at ETF Trends. He writes:

The age-old strategy that investors have stood by, the buy-and-hold strategy, has been tested, and market players are now seeking exchange traded funds (ETFs), among other vehicles, to establish a different relationship with the market …

 

The technical indicators are becoming the norm for market players and long-term investors who are no longer staying on the sidelines and watching, as the recent market volatility has left them burned.

This is a reversal of the long-term investors trend, and it’s changing the investing landscape. What was once a solid, long-term investment is no longer, and the market uncertainty, mixed with economic troubles, has led the way to a new state of the “normal.”

I heard a similar thing when

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I'm reporting live from the Inside ETFs conference in Boca Raton, Florida, which is off to a great start.

We have nearly 500 people in attendance—up significantly from last year's event—and it's a lively crowd. I sat on the "ETFs 101" panel yesterday with Steve Sachs (Rydex), Tom Lydon (ETF Trends) and Barry Rabinowitz (an independent financial advisor). We had planned to spend two hours walking people through the basics of ETFs, talking about their structural advantages over competing products, the creation/redemption mechanism, etc. 

But 10 minutes in, the audience jumped in with questions ... and they were great questions. We had to cut things off after two hours, but I think we could have talked for five or six hours if we had had time. People are hungry for information, and they are very, very interested in how ETFs can help them deliver better returns to clients.

During the talk, we spent

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There is an ongoing and important debate over U.S. Health Care policy.  Many lives are affected.  The cost of a true solution is high.  There is sharp disagreement over who will pay.  At issue is whether we, as a nation, want to assure some basic level of health care to everyone.  If we do, does this assurance extend to all, perhaps even those in the country illegally? In answering, it is important to realize that we already pay many of these costs.  We do it through expensive, after-the-fact treatment in both emergency rooms and hospitals. Our new President has a plan, but what priority will it get in the face of the economic crisis? For investors there is another aspect to this debate.  Which health care companies will benefit from a new health initiative?  What are the real chances of passage. Each week we ...

As investors survey the landscape of beaten-down ETF's, different methods come into play.  Some are looking for value.  Some seek sectors with rebound potential.  Others look for news-driven potential. When we examine ETF charts and our model output, we see the results of this analysis.  We see factors like Trends and Cycles and try to Anticipate the best opportunities.  It is an interpretation of how the market is reacting to fundamental considerations.  Each week we choose a sector for a more detailed focus.  (For new readers, there is a more complete description of our methods at the end of the article.) Spotlight on Agriculture We follow the Ag sector via the Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF (MOO).  The security is based upon the DAXglobal® Agribusiness Index.  MOO is down about 36% YTD.  The current P/E ratio is about 17 with a price-to-book ...

It was only a week ago that we found No Sectors to Buy in the ETF universe.  The picture has changed swiftly and dramatically.  There are now many choices in our "buy" range.  The signal strengths are solid and getting better. It is a surprising result in a week when the S&P 500 declined by almost 4%.  We have a lot of respect for signals in many sectors from our TCA-ETF model.  These are discoverd through examination of Trends, Cycles, while using a touch of Anticipation.  (For new readers, there is a more complete description of our methods at the end of the article.) Looking for the best sectors to buy, we were a bit surprised at the results.  That is what a model should do -- alert you to opportunities that you might not see on your own. Featured Sector:  Back ...

As you probably know ETNs are debt obligations of someone, usually a bank. Apparently Lehman Brothers backed a few of them under the brand name Opta. I don't remember what the Opta ETNs are/were but their fate seems to be in question because Lehman Brothers went under.For purposes of this post it does not matter what the Opta ETNs tracked or whether Barclays makes good or not.If you are interested in that part of it both Index Universe and Tom Lydon are all over it.I wrote about several ETNs for theStreet.com about certain funds that I thought were interesting.A typical disclaimer I put in those articles was that it is unlikely that an issuer would go under (despite what has happened, that is still a true statement) but that it would not be a good ...

ETF Update: Back to the Home Builders Sometimes the news moves faster than the system.  The announcement this weekend of the Fannie/Freddie bailout will change prospects for the overall market as well as specific sectors. The Street has been anticipating a plan, and that may have influenced some "bottom fishing" in the home builder stocks.  This helps to explain our ratings -- a strange mixture of energy positions, financials, and the inverse NASDAQ short, PSQ.  (For new readers, there is a further explanation of our approach at the end of the article.) Even when one's methods include some anticipation, as we have in the TCA-ETF system, one cannot guess which week will produce the government response to a crisis.  It could have been three weeks ago, or it might have dragged on until after the election.  The real point of clarity ...