Complete ETF List - Q4 2009

Written by ETF Planet Monday, 04 January 2010 23:06

ETF Planet has just released its updated "Complete ETF List" for the fourth quarter 2009.  The list is in excel format, and is free to download, modify, and use as you please.  All data was freely obtained from www.morningstar.com, which is a great resource for ETF information.  The list now contains 952 funds, including exchange traded notes.  The file has two drop down menus: "Family Name" and "Morningstar Category", and displays both the 3 month and 12 month performance.

Download the ETF List Here

Best and Worst ETFs of 2009

Written by ETF Planet Saturday, 02 January 2010 01:25

Another year has come and gone, the dust has settled, and now its time to see who made our top ten best and worst ETFs for the year. To avoid duplication, we’ve eliminated the lesser known ETFs that essentially track the same assets as the more popular issues, as well as funds with built in leverage.

As you can probably imagine, the top ten list was saturated with energy and emerging market related names. The best overall performer was the Market Vectors Coal ETF (KOL) which was up over 144% for the year. Other top performers in the list were the Market Vectors Russia ETF (RSX), the iShares MSCI Brazil Index ETF (EWZ), and the Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX).

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Market Correction Looming?

Written by ETF Planet Thursday, 08 October 2009 19:00

Today the S&P 500 (SPY) is flirting with new highs, based on our research this price action is to continue and should cause the index to close at a brand new high for the year. The technical picture looks bleak. For the last month, the market has continued its rally on lower than average volume. Fundamentally, the facts show that although there are signs of improvement in the economy, the full extent of the recent rally is unjustified. The consumer will continue to be a drag on the economy. The average consumer is still in a deleveraging/saving frame of mind and does not have a strong appetite for new credit to finance larger purchases. With unemployment continuing to be a threat, and consumers racing to either save or pay down debt, our view of economic growth seems to be temporarily constrained. A good percentage of this year’s market rally can be justified fundamentally, relative to the desperately oversold levels we were in during February. Most companies have cut costs which in turn, has increased profitability, but the real question, and what we believe will hinder positive results this coming earnings season is top line growth. After all the major cost cutting efforts that occurred throughout the recession, companies are poised to meet and possibly beat expectations on the bottom line. Our focus this earnings season is on new revenue. If companies don’t improve the top line it only shows that any good result is a function of cost cutting efforts that simply will not be sustainable in the long term.

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Solar ETF Update: TAN vs. KWT

Written by ETF Planet Monday, 05 October 2009 19:00

Over a year ago we took a look at the two most popular solar ETFs, Claymore’s Global Solar Energy Index (TAN) and Van Eck’s Market Vectors Solar Energy ETF (KWT). At first glance these two funds look to be quite similar, and in many aspects they are. However, a closer look reveals many of their differences in structure, size, and value.

The first solar energy ETF to hit the market was Claymore’s TAN, which tracks the MAC Global Solar Energy Index. This index has grown from 25 securities a year ago, to 30 today. The market cap size over the past year has drifted lower to small (51%), mid (38%), and large cap (11%) companies. Shortly after the launch of TAN, Van Eck’s KWT hit the market, which tracks the Ardour Solar Energy Index. This index is comprised of 29 securities, up from 27 a year ago, covering small (38%), mid (53%), and large cap (9%) companies. When looking at the top five holdings of the two funds as a percentage of the total fund, TAN’s top five have dropped from 34% to 25%, whereas KWT’s top five has dropped from 47% to 31% of the fund. Also worth noting is MEMC Electronic Materials (WFR) was previously absent from KWT, but is now the fund’s third largest holding.

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