ishares

Stocks with the quality designation are, broadly speaking, less volatile than their lower quality peers, dividend payers and raisers and prolific cash generators. Usually, quality stocks are less bad during volatile markets and that trait explains why the iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (...

Less than three months into 2016, at least one thing is clear about exchange-traded fund flows: Advisors and investors love bond funds. That much is highlighted by the fact that six of this year's top 10 asset-gathering ETFs are fixed income funds. However, distribution of fixed income ETF...

None of the U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds tracking stocks in the PIIGS countries are doing much to make investors excited this year, but the iShares MSCI Italy Index (ETF) (NYSE: EWI) is a particularly egregious offender. EWI, the largest ETF trading in New York tracking stocks in the euorzone...

With Great Britain's referendum on its future in the European Union slated for late June, there is increasing talk regarding which corners of the UK's financial markets are vulnerable. That speculation carries over to U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds such as the Guggenheim CurrencyShares...

In the United States, inflation, excluding energy and food costs, has been hard to come by in recent years. Inflation fans probably should curb their enthusiasm, but it is worth noting that inflation rose modestly in December and January. While it remains to be seen if data from those months mark...

ETF.com's "Inside ETFs" conference took place in Florida last week and, perhaps not surprisingly, smart beta exchange-traded funds were popular topics of discussion. That stands to reason as various surveys and studies out last indicated professional investors are likely to continue boosting...

One of the great things about exchange-traded funds is that, broadly speaking, the asset class is a cost-effective avenue for accessing a broad basket of stocks. Another great thing about ETFs is that issuers of these products are constantly competing with each other on price, recognizing that...

In December, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi disappointed global financial markets with smaller-than-expected additions and tweaks to the ECB's quantitative easing regime. Since then, European stocks and the corresponding U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds have not been immune to...

Global equity market carnage is not playing favorites on a regional basis to start 2016, and plenty of that carnage is being absorbed by UK stocks. Over the past month, the iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (iShares Trust (NYSE: EWU)), the largest UK exchange-traded fund trading in New York, has...

On a global basis, exchange-traded products added a whopping $347 billion in new assets last year. Said another way, the amount of money that flowed into ETFs last year exceeds the current market value of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM), the largest U.S. oil company. While it is still early in...

Although the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in almost decade last month and plenty of pundits believe multiple rate hikes are on the way this year, some investors are finding comfort in municipal bond exchange-traded funds. The question savvy investors need to be...

To currency hedge or not to currency hedge. Hamlet never pondered that scenario, but some investors using exchange-traded funds are likely to debate that exact question. It is a good thing some ETF issuers have already come up with answers. Earlier this week, BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK)'s...

For decades, Vanguard was known as a mutual fund provider. More specifically, the Pennsylvania-based company was and still is known as the dominant provider of low-cost, passive, index-based strategies. However, despite a somewhat late entry to the exchange-traded funds business, Vanguard has...

Last year was another banner year for inflows to exchange-traded funds, and that was music to the ears of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), the world's largest asset manager and the biggest issuer of ETFs. New York-based BlackRock garnered $130 billion of the $347 billion that flowed into exchange-...

Plenty of investors the tale of woe pertaining to emerging markets equities and exchange-traded funds last year. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Indx (ETF) (NYSE: EEM), the second largest emerging markets ETF by assets, slumped nearly 17 percent last year, but frontier markets stocks and the...