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Best Performing ETFs for the Past 4 Weeks through 8/29/2007

Trend: iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index (FXI) is up 11% over the last 4 weeks — 7.37% for the past week.

Name	Ticker	Category	Holdings	Morningstar	Last Price*	1-Wk	4-Wks	13-Wks	YTD	52-Wks	3-Yrs	5-Yrs
iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index	FXI	Diversified Emerging Markets	holdings		$147.78	7.37	10.80	33.80	32.88	89.60	N/A	N/A
SPDR S&P China	GXC	Pacific Stock			$77.38	7.60	9.28	31.34	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
PowerShares HighYield Dividend Achievers	PEY	Growth and Income	holdings		$14.88	-2.28	7.30	-5.39	-6.46	1.65	N/A	N/A
SPDR S&P Biotech	XBI	Specialty - Health	holdings		$55.02	0.35	7.29	1.24	18.38	17.51	N/A	N/A
KBW Regional Banking ETF	KRE	Specialty - Financial	holdings		$45.03	-4.01	7.24	-5.02	-10.51	-4.89	N/A	N/A
HealthShares Cancer	HHK	Specialty - Health	holdings		$27.88	0.72	6.94	-6.51	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
PowerShares Gldn Dragon Halter USX China	PGJ	Diversified Emerging Markets	holdings		$27.39	7.94	6.76	19.76	30.74	75.28	N/A	N/A
Vanguard REIT Index ETF	VNQ	Specialty - Real Estate	holdings		$68.32	-2.86	6.07	-10.80	-10.04	0.73	N/A	N/A
HealthShares Emerging Cancer	HHJ	Specialty - Health	holdings		$21.38	-0.88	5.58	-9.02	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
PowerShares Dynamic Banking	PJB	Specialty - Financial	holdings		$22.07	-3.23	5.33	-6.13	-10.71	N/A	N/A	N/A
iShares Cohen & Steers Realty Majors	ICF	Specialty - Real Estate	holdings		$87.20	-3.02	5.08	-12.29	-12.37	-0.34	17.73	19.75
Ultra Russell2000 ProShares	UWM	Equity-Income	holdings		$67.89	-2.53	4.68	-13.03	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bd	HYG	Corporate Bond - High Yield			$100.55	0.76	4.56	-3.85	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
DJ Wilshire REIT ETF	RWR	Specialty - Real Estate	holdings		$77.39	-3.35	4.46	-12.37	-11.46	-1.26	16.62	18.70
PowerShares Dynamic Large Cap Value	PWV	Growth	holdings		$19.90	-0.79	4.44	-5.83	2.25	12.75	N/A	N/A
UltraShort Russell MidCap Val ProShares	SJL	Growth	holdings		$79.36	2.72	4.09	20.56	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ultra Utilities ProShares	UPW	Specialty - Utility	holdings		$74.51	-2.28	3.85	-13.78	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Vanguard Utilities ETF	VPU	Specialty - Utility	holdings		$80.75	-1.04	3.59	-5.55	6.72	15.01	19.42	N/A
iShares FTSE NAREIT Real Estate 50	FTY	Specialty - Real Estate	holdings		$41.78	-3.21	3.38	-11.10	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
PowerShares Aerospace & Defense	PPA	Specialty - Technology	holdings		$22.24	0.36	3.33	4.79	18.97	34.37	N/A	N/A

August 30, 2007 in Investing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: Best Performing ETFs, FXI, iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index, MSN Money Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Performance, Trends

Best Performing ETFs for the week ending 8/24/2007

Trend: iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index (FXI) is up 16% over the last week — 3.34% for the past 4 weeks.

Link: MSN Money Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Performance Tracker

Name	Ticker	Category	Holdings	Morningstar	Last Price*	1-Wk	4-Wks	13-Wks	YTD	52-Wks	3-Yrs	5-Yrs
iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index	FXI	Diversified Emerging Markets	holdings		$153.07	15.47	3.34	30.58	28.88	85.12	N/A	N/A
SPDR S&P China	GXC	Pacific Stock			$80.50	15.29	1.73	28.95	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ultra Basic Materials ProShares	UYM	Specialty - Unaligned	holdings		$81.50	13.29	-12.55	-3.59	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Market Vectors Steel ETF	SLX	Specialty - Natural Resources	holdings		$65.07	13.23	-6.92	4.01	40.91	N/A	N/A	N/A
iShares MSCI Brazil Index	EWZ	Foreign Stock	holdings		$59.92	13.04	-9.21	6.86	28.07	59.61	55.83	53.40
PowerShares Gldn Dragon Halter USX China	PGJ	Diversified Emerging Markets	holdings		$27.79	12.54	-0.30	16.62	25.55	70.36	N/A	N/A
iShares MSCI Australia Index	EWA	Pacific Stock	holdings		$27.65	12.19	-6.74	3.21	19.02	40.37	32.75	29.35
WisdomTree Pacific ex-Japan Total Div	DND	Equity-Income	holdings		$74.20	11.81	-4.80	4.67	18.39	41.69	N/A	N/A
Claymore/BNY BRIC	EEB	Foreign Stock	holdings		$40.14	11.63	-4.93	12.56	22.18	N/A	N/A	N/A
SPDR S&P Emerging Latin America	GML	Foreign Stock			$70.34	11.02	-6.59	5.50	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
WisdomTree International Basic Materials	DBN	Specialty - Unaligned	holdings		$35.15	10.05	-8.37	2.22	23.75	N/A	N/A	N/A
iShares MSCI Pacific ex-Japan	EPP	Pacific Stock	holdings		$144.80	9.88	-5.41	3.59	16.46	39.50	29.75	26.10
iShares S&P Latin America 40 Index	ILF	Foreign Stock	holdings		$207.80	9.79	-7.05	3.74	22.37	53.34	51.87	43.89
PowerShares Dynamic Asia Pacific	PUA	Pacific Stock	holdings		$26.80	9.60	-3.53	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mkt Vectors Glb Alternative Energy ETF	GEX	Specialty - Unaligned	holdings		$42.94	9.57	-3.70	7.38	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
WisdomTree Pacific ex-Japan Hi-Yld Eq	DNH	Equity-Income	holdings		$69.79	9.17	-9.04	-0.47	13.20	36.62	N/A	N/A
SPDR S&P BRIC 40	BIK	Growth	holdings		$25.78	8.93	-3.00	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rydex S&P Equal Weight Materials	RTM	Specialty - Unaligned	holdings		$56.37	8.78	-6.11	-2.30	9.61	N/A	N/A	N/A
iShares S&P Global Materials	MXI	Specialty - Unaligned	holdings		$68.83	8.61	-6.29	4.82	23.51	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ultra QQQ ProShares	QLD	Growth			$93.87	8.58	-5.72	6.65	18.08	46.92	N/A	N/A

August 28, 2007 in Investing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: Best Performing ETFs, FXI, iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index, MSN Money Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Performance, Trends

Time to invest in a Precious Metal?

Trend: The industrial demand for silver will continue to grow.

Robert Kiyosaki says the biggest opportunity today is in silver. He thinks that silver is about to become the most spectacular investment in recent history -- bigger than oil, even bigger than Google. Excerpts below.

Link: A Silver Lining for Nervous Investors by Robert Kiyosaki

All That Glitters

Let me give you some reasons why:

• Silver is a consumable industrial commodity.

It's used in computers, cells phones, and electrical relays. This means that as countries like China, India, and Vietnam, and regions like Eastern Europe, become more modernized, the demand for silver will increase.

Silver is also applied in medicine. One little-known use is as a bactericide, a role silver has filled throughout history. Today, medical devices such as catheters and stethoscopes use silver, and every hospital in the western world uses silver sulfadiazine to prevent infections.

• Silver is scarcer than gold.

Gold is hoarded. It's estimated that 95 percent of all gold ever mined is still around. The exact opposite is true of silver: An estimated 95 percent of all silver ever mined has been consumed.

Forty-five percent of all silver mined is burned up in industrial uses. Jewelry accounts for 28 percent, and 20 percent has been consumed in photography. Only 5 percent is in coins.

• Silver supplies are down.

In 1900, it was estimated that the world had 12 billion ounces of silver. By 1990 it had dropped to 2.2 billion ounces. By 2007, the supply was down to 300 million ounces.

Some of the more pessimistic forecasts estimate that the world will be out of silver in about 10 years. This could be catastrophic to the world economy. In 10 years, silver might have as much of an impact on the world economy as $200-a-barrel oil.

A Safe Haven?

As a precious metal, silver is also money. And as the U.S. dollar drops, gold and silver are seen as a hedge against a loss of value. As more and more people wake up to the reality that their cash is trash, real estate is a gamble, and the stock market is too volatile, silver may be a great safe haven.

As I write, silver is approximately $13 an ounce. If industrial consumption continues and monetary panic sets in, who knows how high the price will go? Between 1979 and 1980, silver went to $48 an ounce. In today's dollars, that would be the same as $80 an ounce.

And recently, exchange traded funds in silver have been added as a way for investors to hold silver. The reason I find the silver ETF so intriguing is because an ETF represents real money -- not fake money like the U.S. dollar.

The ETF Solution

Prior to 1963, a U.S. dollar was real money that could conceivably be exchanged for silver. After 1963, it became a Federal Reserve note that was no longer backed by silver. A silver ETF is similar to old-time money, then, and as the U.S. dollar continues to drop in purchasing power these new ETFs may become the "new old money."

The significance of the new silver ETF is that it makes owning silver simple and convenient for the general public. Owning silver ETFs is easier than owning physical silver, which is heavy and requires security such as a safe. And owning silver ETFs is safer than buying a silver mining stock, which can be risky.

Silver ETFs are also pretty straightforward: If silver is $13 an ounce, you buy so many ounces at that price. If the price of silver goes up, you make money; if the price goes down, you lose money. The risk is minimized because you're buying physical silver -- you aren't buying a share of a silver company, which can go bust. As long as the ETF is honorable and protects your silver, your investment is secure. (A caveat: Silver ETFs haven't proven reliable yet, so use caution if you take this route.)

A Rich Find for Investors

My prediction is that the industrial demand for silver will continue to go up as the wider world becomes more modernized. At the same time, as the dollar drops in purchasing power, the average investor will wake up to the convenience of owning silver ETFs and start to buy them.

Consequently, the ETF side will dry up the silver supply for the industrial side. Someday in the near future, then -- maybe in two to five years from now -- these two forces will collide and the price of silver will go up faster than anything on the market today.

August 27, 2007 in Investing | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: ETFs, Robert Kiyosaki, silver

The Wilshire 5000 jumped up 2.5% for the week ending 8/24/2007

Trend: The Wilshire 5000* gained 365 points (+2.5%) for the week.

The 10-day moving average (MA) has turned upward but it is still below the 30-day MA. The daily line is about to cross above the 30-day MA.

We track the the movement of the Wilshire 5000 because the market as a whole has a significant influence of the movement of individual stock prices.

The Wilshire 5000 one-year chart below includes the 10, 30, 60, and 90-day simple moving averages.

Continue reading "The Wilshire 5000 jumped up 2.5% for the week ending 8/24/2007" »

August 26, 2007 in Investing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: 10-day average, 10-day SMA, 30-day average, 30-day SMA, 60-day average, 60-day SMA, 90-day average, 90-day SMA, cross-over, cross-under, investing, total stock market index, Wilshire 5000

David Fry's Market Outlook

Trend: Fixing credit problems with easy money could create inflation down the road.

David Fry analyzes the behavior of key ETFs and provides insight into the stock market. Excerpts below.

Link: David Fry's Market Outlook for Thursday - Seeking Alpha

David Fry's Market Outlook for Thursday
on Aug 24th, 2007 with stocks: EWH, EWZ, GLD, MDY, QQQQ, RSX, SHY, SPY, TLT

The Fed pushed another $17.25 billion into markets, bringing the total in the past two weeks to $120 billion. How much of these repo actions have been repaid is impossible to know. It's said that if repos don't get repaid, money is created out of thin air. How much of today's injections are rollovers of previous activity? It's not known by pedestrians like us.

According to an article in the WSJ, the Fed is watching market conditions including "stock prices". Noting stock prices in the statement provides even further encouragement to bulls implying a downturn in stocks would trigger further intervention -- the Bernanke Put.

...investors in money market accounts are examining just what constituents are in their supposedly safe fund. Many are switching to a U.S. Treasury fund, which is causing the decline in commercial paper demand -- hardly a sign that stability has returned.

The ongoing credit crunch doesn't seem to be over yet, although hopeful bulls see it as isolated and being well-managed by the Fed. Most bulls want/demand/expect a Fed interest rate cut. If they don't get it, they'll have a Cramer fit. What the Fed is doing now may be necessary, but it's also technically inflationary. After all, inflation is a monetary phenomenon, and printing gobs of money may trade one problem for another. So they talk a good game to reassure those fearful of the inflationary aspects of their activities. Time will tell how it works out.

August 24, 2007 in Investing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: David Fry, EWH, EWZ, GLD, Market Outlook, MDY, QQQQ, RSX, SHY, SPY, TLT

Best Performing ETFs for the Past 4 Weeks - 8/20/2007

Trend: UltraShort Basic Materials (SMN) is up 29% over the past 4 weeks — 8% for the past week.

Link: MSN Money Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Performance Tracker

Name

Ticker

Best Performing ETFs for the Past Week - 8/18/2007

Trend: UltraShort Basic Materials (SMN) is up 19% over the last week — 39% for the past 4 weeks.

Link: MSN Money Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Performance Tracker

Name

Ticker

Thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) market is forecast to grow rapidly

Trend: Thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) shows potential for cost-effective solar energy.

The world thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) market is forecast to reach $7.2 billion by 2015, compared to just over $1.0 billion today, according to a new report from NanoMarkets LC. Additional details about the report are available on the firm's website at http://www.nanomarkets.net.

Link: New NanoMarkets Report Predicts $7.2 Billion Thin-Film Photovoltaics Market by 2015

The market is being driven by the inherent advantages of TFPV including low cost, low weight, and the ability to manufacture them on flexible substrates and embed solar power capabilities into walls, roofs and even windows. Unlike more conventional PV that uses crystalline silicon, TFPV also has the ability to operate under low light conditions. The report notes that to support the growing demand for TFPV, most manufacturers are ramping up production capacity and several -- including First Solar, Fuji Electric, Nanosolar, Sanyo, Uni-Solar and G24i -- are building plants with more than 100 MW in capacity.

Some of the findings of the report include:

Because worldwide energy prices are rising fast and PV prices are falling fast, PV will carve off a big slice of the energy market and could eventually account for as much as 20 percent of the U.S. market's energy needs.

Conventional PV is expensive to make. By contrast TFPV can be manufactured using simple printing or other R2R machines; the value of printed TFPV is expected to reach just over $3.0 billion by 2015. Printing PV has the potential for lowering capital costs by as much as 75 percent, reducing waste and increasing throughput.

The fact that TFPV is also much lighter than conventional PV and can be more easily applied to curved and non-planar surfaces, TFPV is easier to install on roofs and walls.

PV based on organic materials is more ecologically friendly than other PV approaches.

via Alt Energy Stocks via The Energy Blog

Continue reading "Thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) market is forecast to grow rapidly" »

August 20, 2007 in Clean Energy, Energy supplies, Green, Saving Energy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: //www.nanomarkets.net, NanoMarkets LC, TFPV, thin-film photovoltaics

The Wilshire 5000 dropped almost 1% for the week ending 8/17/2007

Trend: The Wilshire 5000* lost 110 points (-0.7%) for the week.

The 10-day moving average (MA) and 30-day MA are both declining. Between July 31, 2006 and March 2, 2007, the 10-day MA was above the 30-day MA, tracking the significant bull run.

We track the the movement of the Wilshire 5000 because the market as a whole has a significant influence of the movement of individual stock prices.

The Wilshire 5000 one-year chart below includes the 10, 30, 60, and 90-day simple moving averages.

Continue reading "The Wilshire 5000 dropped almost 1% for the week ending 8/17/2007" »

August 19, 2007 in Investing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Performance Tracker

Trend: Basic materials have been the worst performing group in the ProShares ETFs for the last 4 weeks (worse than real estate).

MSN Money has an excellent ETF performance tracker. I used it to get the following data.

This table shows the most recent prices and returns, based on market price, for ProShare ETFs tracked by Morningstar. Returns for 3 and 5 years are annualized. All non-intraday data as of 08/16/2007.

Name

Ticker

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