Moby Waller submits:International ETFs have exploded in popularity, largely due to the fact that they make it relatively easy for an individual investor to trade a singe focused country or region. Remember, however, that ETFs differ from each other, sometimes in huge ways, so be sure to investigate the holdings and structure of an ETF/ETN before you invest or trade in it. Let's take a look at the top-performing International ETFs on a Year-To-Date basis for 2009 (data source here): 2009 YTD Top Performing International ETFs Complete Story »

  Hao Jin submits:Asset allocation is the most influential on investment outcome. There have been growing signs that the worst of the global crisis might have passed. While the US dollar may continue to weaken and the US loses significance in the global landscape, an allocation to other developed markets is deemed necessary. After all, 76% of global GDP is outside the US. The most popular ETF to provide global diversification is iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA), which tracks Europe, Australasia and Far East Index of developed countries.Complete Story »

  David Hunkar submits: Friday, crude oil prices settled at $77.43 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. After rising for many months this year, oil prices are stabilizing or falling due to the increasing unemployment levels. The price of natural gas for December delivery closed at $4.595 per 1,000 cubic feet. When oil prices rose to almost $150 per barrel last year, many of the oil exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, etc. reaped huge profits and built up their foreign exchange reserves.Complete Story »

  David Hunkar submits: In this post lets take a quick look at The Top 10 Global Insurance Companies by 2008 revenues. On October 27th, ING (ING) one of the world’s largest insurance companies, was forced to split itself into two in order to comply with the strict rules enforced by the EU on firms that received government financial aid during the credit crisis last year. ING plans to divest its US online baning operation ING Direct, insurance business and about 6% of the retail banking in domestic market. ING ranks 6th in the world based on its insurance revenues and 13th among European banks as of June this year.Complete Story »

  David Hunkar submits: Unlike its neighbor Singapore, the country of Malaysia is often overlooked by investors. The economy of Malaysia is commodity-based with palm oil, crude oil and rubber being the major exports. Among the Asian emerging markets, Malaysia has some unique comparative advantages. Some of the top reasons for investing in Malaysia are listed below: The Malaysian banks was virtually unaffected by the global credit crisis last year that decimated many banks especially in the western world. The Top Banks such as May Bank, Public Bank, CIMB and Malayan banking (MLYBY.PK) were not involved heavily in derivatives and weathered the crisis easily.After the Asian crisis, Malaysia enacted many regulations which prevented the reckless flow of capital into and out of the country. These regulations require that capital invested in Malaysia stay invested for some years before they can be taken out.As the world’s largest producer of palm oil, Malaysia has a leadership position in providing cheap edible oil to many developing countries. Palm oil is a cheaper substitute for vegetable or sunflower oil which are used in cooking. There are many huge palm oil plantations in Malaysia which benefited nicely last year when palm oil prices soared. Kuala Lumpur Kepong which trades in the OTC market with ticker KLKSY.PK is engaged in palm oil and rubber production among other products.In 2008, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Malaysia increased by 38% (RM 46.1 Billion) from the previous year. Australia was the largest investor followed by US, Japan and Germany. However this year, FDI plunged to just $13 B from January thru May. But in the future FDI may increase substantially as the government has announced many liberalization measures and the country holds potential in sectors such as renewable energy, manufacturing, etc.Since Islam is the largest and official religion in Malaysia, the financial sector follows the principles of Islamic finance and take very low risks compared to banks in other countries.Since Independence from the British, the country has been a Parliamentary democracy with a stable government in most years. Hence political risk is low.Corruption is lower in Malaysia relative other ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and others.In addition to palm oil and rubber, Malaysia is blessed with an abundance of forestry, fertile agricultural land minerals like copper, iron-ore,etc.Crude oil and Natural gas were discovered offshore in the 1970s and today Malaysia subsidizes gasoline for domestic consumers and is a net exporter of crude oil. The famous Petronas Tower is owned by the national state-owned oil giant Petronas.While Malaysia has failed to succeed in innovation based industries like IT, biotechnology, semiconductors, etc. it has been able to excel in the agricultural and commodity sector and more recently is heavily encouraging the growth of tourism, healthcare and education sectors. Genting Berhad (GMALY.PK) is a major entertainment company that operates the famous Genting Highland Resorts outside of Kuala Lumpur, Sentosa Island in Singapore and others. The following chart shows the 30 Most Valuable brands of Malaysia: Click to enlargeComplete Story »

  Greentech Media submits: By Jeff St. JohnHewlett Packard (HPQ) has connected the dots between the trendy term "smart grid" and its work to make data centers more efficient.Complete Story »

  Greentech Media submits: By Ucilia WangApplied Materials (AMAT) has purchased most of the assets of Advent Solar in cash to boost its offering of factory equipment for making crystalline silicon cells and panels.Complete Story »

  Tom Lydon (ETF Trends) submits: After suffering through steep losses last year, municipal bonds and related ETFs have been riding the wave of investment interest in the bonds sector.Municipal bond mutual funds have increased 14.4% on average through Oct. 29 and yields have not experienced their current lows in more than four decades, reports Jonathan Burton for The Wall Street Journal. The surge in muni bonds may be over, but some believe this investment vehicle still has a place in many portfolios, especially as tax time looms.Complete Story »

  Tom Lydon (ETF Trends) submits: As the U.S. economy starts to show signs of a recovery, the market for mergers and acquisitions has shown signs of life. There are 2 ETFs you should keep an eye on as this market heats up even more in the coming year.There have already been 41 announced U.S. deals worth an estimated $47.5 billion in November. Those who stand to benefit from this trend are large Wall Street banks and some boutique financial firms, states Jessica Papini of The Wall Street Journal.Complete Story »

  IndexUniverse submits: By Matt HouganSchwab’s new ETFs solve one critical problem in the ETF market, but they won’t take over the world. At least not for a while.Complete Story »

  Tom Lydon (ETF Trends) submits: After a year of unwanted regulatory and media scrutiny, ETF providers will be putting more energy into getting investors and financial advisors to better understand the handy ETF investment tool.Over the next year, ETF providers will be spending more time ensuring financial advisors understand what their ETF products are about and how to use them in client portfolios, writes Jessica Toonkel Marquez for InvestmentNews.Complete Story »

  Tom Lydon (ETF Trends) submits: Japan was an economy that was hit particularly hard by the recession, thanks to a tradition of frugality. But prices, production and consumption have stabilized, and the economy and related ETFs may be showing small improvements.According to the Bank of Japan (BOJ), “Japan’s economy has started to pick up” and the economy is “likely to improve gradually,” writes Myra P. Saefong for MarketWatch. The BOJ left rates steady at 0.1%, which is not having much of a stimulative effect on economic activity. The Japanese Central Bank stated that public investment, exports and production are all increasing, as stated in China View. Exports and production are expected to rise when other countries recover and begin to buy again. The Central Bank has hopes that this is the beginning of a two-tiered economy based on high domestic demand and greater foreign exports. The Democratic Party of Japan is aiming to change the Japanese economy into one centered on domestic demand. Private consumption and housing investments remain weak. Furthermore, corporate profits, employment and income all remain depressed.Complete Story »

  Tom Lydon (ETF Trends) submits: The price of gold just can’t be stopped these days. Future prices of the precious metal topped $1,100 on Friday, giving related ETFs a push higher, as well.Investors were driven into gold’s safe arms by a disappointing unemployment report that was the country’s worst in 26 years.Complete Story »

  Tom Lydon (ETF Trends) submits: The home buyer tax credit has been expanded and extended. Potential home owners are the obvious beneficiaries of this new piece of legislation, but homebuilders, along with related ETFs, could also benefit from the government’s aid in the housing market.Congress voted to extend the tax credit and President Barack Obama signed it into law this morning, according to The Wall Street Journal.Complete Story »