This month, WidomTree launched a new South-Korea focused ETF, the WisdomTree Korea Hedged Equity Fund (DXKW). This goes head-to-head against a well-entrenched competitor, the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY), which trades about 2.5 million shares per day and has assets of about $4.4 billion. It also brings up two questions: For one, does WisdomTree’s...Read More

For an ETF dedicated to companies with sustainable competitive advantages—or “wide moats” to borrow a term from Warren Buffett—you might expect relatively low turnover.  After all, moats don’t dry up overnight. Yet in its annual reconstitution last month, the Market Vectors Wide Moat ETF (MOAT), which is based on the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index,...Read More

It may seem like madness to suggest buying REITs at a time when yields are soaring and anything associated with “income investing” is getting slammed.  But with many popular REITs down 30% or more, now is precisely the time to start digging around for value. This bond market selloff roiling all income-focused securities may very...Read More

Earlier this week, I wrote that Greece had been downgraded by MSCI from “developed economy” to “emerging market.”  In this video, I dig into the details and explain what this means for investors. The point to take away is that your emerging market ETF or mutual fund may not be invested in the countries you...Read More

Most of us would agree that Greece is not a “developed market” on par with the United States, Canada, or Western Europe.  Its instability, pitiful economic governance, corruption and cronyism—all of which contributed to its spectacular sovereign debt crisis—prove that the country is not quite ready for the big leagues. Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”),...Read More