Columns

Step aside gold, its platinum and palladium’s time to shine. The two metals are off to a strong start this year, sending exchange-traded funds indexed to the precious metals to 17-month highs.

Schwab ETF OneSource is a new platform that enables investors to trade 105 exchange-traded funds without online trade commissions.

Many ETFs with Research in Motion among their top holdings failed to get a significant boost last week as the struggling Canadian smartphone maker unveiled two versions of its delayed BlackBerry 10 phone. 

Investors poured a record-breaking $191 billion into the U.S. exchange-traded-fund industry in 2012, a 61% increase from 2011 and a 13% rise from the previous record of $169 billion set four years ago.  

Blowout sales failed to attract shoppers this holiday season, and retail exchange-traded funds dipped on weak holiday sales.

Those looking to invest in dividend-paying companies can allocate money to dividend-focused exchange-traded funds. 

The rush to sell insurance stocks in preparation for Hurricane Sandy pushed prices lower, triggering a fall in exchange traded funds with top holdings in property and casualty insurers.

Despite a bullish start to the year, tech-based ETFs are struggling to keep hold of their gains after a drop in Apple stock, and Google's surprise third-quarter earnings miss.

Not all investors looking to bet on Apple’s success can afford to buy shares at $700 a pop. Alternative investments offer retail investors and the general public a cheaper way to play one of the top-performing stocks.

Investors in gold and silver exchange-traded funds get a big boost from QE3, as the metals move inversely to the price of the U.S. dollar.

Homebuilder exchange-traded funds are trending higher this week as the housing market proves to be a bright spot in the sluggish economic recovery.

Commodity focused exchange-traded funds have been on a run since June, offering investors a hedge against rising food prices. 

Gold has always been considered a safe haven in a volatile trading environment, but gold ETFs might be losing their luster.   

The global exchange-traded funds industry is off to its best start in history, posting record inflows of more than $100 billion during the first half of 2012, a 16% increase from one year ago.  

Financial-sector ETFs hold up well after bank downgrades.

Money poured into fixed income ETFs last month as inflows totaled $7.5 billion in U.S. bond funds.  

While a number of investors shy away from Facebook’s volatile stock, others are anxiously awaiting the action, looking for alternative ways to invest in the social media network.

JPMorgan's multi-billion dollar loss is triggering questions from investors regarding the strength and stability of the financial sector, placing pressure on bank-sector ETFs.

Emerging markets are attracting investors' attention as rapid growth offers new investment opportunities.  

Following the first-quarter’s strong performance, some tech stocks are beginning to give back recent gains. Slower-than-expected earnings from a few of the sector’s bellwether stocks is hitting the market, casting a cloud over what has been an upbeat earnings season.