Top 10 Noteworthy ETF Trends Of 2011

More than 300 exchange-traded products began trading this year, with dozens of issuers rolling out new products.

10 Most Useful New ETFs Of 2011 (For Buy-And-Hold Investors)

ETFs that have debuted over the last year have offered access to new asset classes and strategies. There are no doubt still stones to be overturned, and many new opportunities in the ETF space.

The 18 Most Successful New ETFs Of 2011

Through December 13, 18 ETFs that debuted in 2011 had accumulated at least $100 million in assets, an impressive total that illustrates the tremendous growth potential.

The Top 10 Cheapest And Most Expensive ETFs

Now, there are ETFs that charge as low as 5 basis points; on a $1 million dollar investment.

11 Best ETFdb Stories Of 2011

More than 300 new product launches have hit the market, tipping the total ETP to nearly 1,400.

All articles by ETF Database

ETF Chart of the Day: Carbon

Recently, Bloomberg Magazine ran a report titled “The Big Chill in Carbon Trading,” citing the fact that the emission caps established under the Kyoto Protocol are set to expire at the end of 2012. It points out that the value of carbon allowances in 2011 have dropped by about 47%. Carbon.

Timber ETF Ready to Turn?

ETF Focus: South Korea

ETFs as Tactical Investing Tools

Global X Closing the Curtain on Eight ETFs

Exchange traded fund provider Global X will be liquidating eight of its offerings in February 2012. According to a press release, the  funds are currently closed to new investors and will stop trading at the end of February 16, 2012 and will be liquidated on February 27, 2012.

Articles from ETF Trends

Now This Is Happening: A Greek Stock ETF

Greece 20 ETF is set to trade on NYSE Euronext’s electronic Arca exchange, listed under the ticker “GREK,” starting Thursday, Global X Funds chief executive Bruno del Ama said in an interview. The fund is tied to the FTSE/ATHEX 20 Capped Index. MarketBeat WSJom

A small sample of EM bond ETF´s is here.

Below some graphs of selected ETF´s.

2011 in less than 3 minutes.

Other years are here.

On Tuesday 29 November, Michiel Hulshof gave a lecture at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands on one of the most fascinating developments of our times: the rise of the Chinese megalopolis and its consequences for China and the rest of the world.

Many people are talking about housing and urbanization in China but only a few have as much background as Mr Hulshof and Mr Roggeveen.

Over the next two decades around 300 million Chinese villagers will move to the city, creating the largest urban society in the world. Cities like Shijiazhuang (9 million inhabitants), Wuhan (10 million) and Chongqing (30 million) are developing at breakneck pace into huge metropolises. In size they rival global cities like Chicago, London and Moscow, but their names are still unknown in the rest of the world.

Journalist Michiel Hulshof and architect Daan Roggeveen recently published “How the City Moved to Mr Sun” about these unexplored megacities.

Some very interesting comments at the end of the lecture about the complaints of the new upper middle class in China.

A welcome background picture amongst the many superficial opinions and short TV documents on this important subject.

One caveat:

You need the Microsoft Silverlight Player to see the lecture.

Tesco tries an innovative approach in South Korea

Smart phones and the web are changing the world of retail.

More details are here.

Investments in equities is more than a binary choice between active and passive.

“There is a third option for investors who wish to allocate to equities—non-price-weighted strategy indexes, which offer an alternative and complementary choice. Since the publication of “Fundamental Indexation” in the Financial Analysts Journal,  many asset managers and indexers have created a dizzying array of “alternative betas” or “strategy indexes” designed to offer investors passive investment vehicles that are grounded in the hypothesis of market inefficiency. “

Our conclusion:   Nobody wants to buy new highs.

But relative strength strategies are delivering excellent results.

Dorsey Wright Money Management has more about this in

Investment Return Factors and Momentum Over Multiple Cycles.

Advisors Perspectives article is here.