Indexes and ETFs
Stocks Hold Gains as Backdrop Continues to Improve

Stocks Hold Gains as Backdrop Continues to Improve

Stocks held their ground last week amid a stream of positive news. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2 percent in the holiday-shortened span between Friday, January 18, and Friday, January 25. It was the first negative week in the last five, coming amid the sharpest rally in...

Indexes Are Fighting at a Key Level

Indexes Are Fighting at a Key Level

Stocks ripped hard to start the year, but now comes the hard work. The S&P 500 is back to a potentially key price area between 2600 and 2650. That's where it bounced in October and November, but then failed to hold in early December. Some chart watchers may now...

Latin American Value Hunt Continues

Latin American Value Hunt Continues

Stocks south of the border keep heading north. The iShares Latin America 40 ETF (ILF) is up 10 percent so far this year, about triple the performance of the S&P 500 over the same period. Unlike the unlike the domestic index, the fund is also above its 50- and...

Stocks Climb Wall of Worry for Third Straight Week

Stocks Climb Wall of Worry for Third Straight Week

Stocks keep climbing as investors return to the market after a terrible fourth quarter. The S&P 500 rose 2.5 percent between Friday, January 4, and Friday, January 11. It was the third straight weekly gain and brought the index back to its highest level since...

Small Companies Outperforming in the New Year

Small Companies Outperforming in the New Year

Suddenly small is beautiful in the eyes of investors. Indexes focused on smaller companies, like the Russell 2000 (IWM) or the Nasdaq Composite ($COMPX), have outperformed larger benchmarks like the S&P 500 ($SPX.X) and Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) since...

Double Dose of Good News for Economy as 2019 Begins

Double Dose of Good News for Economy as 2019 Begins

The U.S. economy has gotten a double dose of good news as 2019 gets underway. Non-farm payrolls had their biggest gain in 10 months, almost doubling forecasters' expectations. But that's not all. The October and November totals were also revised up by 58,000....

Brazil Kicked Off 2019 with a Bang

Brazil Kicked Off 2019 with a Bang

Latin America's biggest economy kicked off the New Year with a bang as a pro-business government took power. The iShares Brazil ETF (EWZ) ripped 6.4 percent yesterday, its biggest gain since Jair Bolsonaro effectively won the presidency in early October. Brazil is not...

Bulls Target Coca Cola and Silver Options

Bulls Target Coca Cola and Silver Options

What do a soft-drink giant and a precious metal fund have in common? They both have bullish options trades today, that's what. Let's start with Coca-Cola (KO). The soda maker is one of the few members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average with a gain so far this year or...

Market Jitters Are Lifting Gold Miners

Market Jitters Are Lifting Gold Miners

Gold miners are the only winners in this market as mounting worries drive investors to the ultimate safety play. The Dow Jones US Gold Miner Index ($DJUSPM) has gained 5 percent in the last month. That makes the best performer -- and only real gainer -- of more than...