NYSE Euronext (NYX) acquired American Stock Exchange (Amex) in 2008 to expand its equities, options and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) trading business. Recently NYSE announced plans to sell the majority of its stake in the Amex stock options market to seven companies -- including top banks, trading houses and brokerages. With this move, the company hopes to increase its trading volumes by giving major brokerages an incentive to bring their business to Amex. Major competitors are Nasdaq OMX (NDAQ), CME Group (CME), BATS Global and Direct Edge.

Continue reading NYSE Looks at Selling Stakes in Amex Exchange to Drive Volumes

NYSE Looks at Selling Stakes in Amex Exchange to Drive Volumes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Betting Against Retail with an XRT Put Spread

Betting Against Retail with an XRT Put Spread originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Van Eck Global Launches Rare Earth Metals ETF

Van Eck Global Launches Rare Earth Metals ETF originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuer Global X Funds representatives were granted the honor of ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on the morning of Friday, Aug. 27. The event was a celebration of sorts for the company's latest bevy of recently released ETFs. One of those new ETFs has more than proven itself worthy of a celebration, and that's the Global X Lithium ETF (LIT).

The fund has been a Wall Street sensation since it began trading on Aug. 4, when it opened up at $17.29 per share. The fund closed at $19.88 on Oct. 20, representing a total return of over +15% in just 11 weeks.

Continue reading Power-Up Your Portfolio with the Global X Lithium ETF

Power-Up Your Portfolio with the Global X Lithium ETF originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

By Jamie Dlugosch

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been successful for us as of late, but it appears that a pause may be around the corner.

One of the biggest mistakes investors can make is to project their own personal situation to the market or stocks in general. If times are tough the assumption is that times are tough everywhere and stocks will likely falter. All sorts of emotions including envy and jealousy can come out of the woodwork when things aren't going well personally.

Continue reading Market's Small Gain Signals a Pause?

Market's Small Gain Signals a Pause? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded notes (ETNs) have become the new fad for 401k plans and individual investors. Folks have been flocking to the key gold ETFs via SPDR Gold Trust (GLD), Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX), iShares COMEX Gold Trust (IAU) and even the ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares (SGOL). In fact, the SPDR Gold Trust would be one of the top five or six central government banks in the world if measured solely in gold holdings.

Anytime you get a hot market, as we can see now with gold, you can bet more investment vehicles pop up to capitalize on the fad. Enter leveraged gold ETFs and ETNs, which add another layer to playing the gold market right now.

Continue reading Out-of-Control Gold Meets Leveraged ETN and ETF Products

Out-of-Control Gold Meets Leveraged ETN and ETF Products originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Exchange-traded funds involving solar energy have been stellar over the past two months. A rising stock market and higher oil tends to help. Many companies are raising guidance or are calming fears that margin compression is escalating and that orders are dropping.

We have taken a look at some of the solar ETF products on the market that offer the best alternatives on investing, although there are also some broader ETF products via alternative energy and clean energy ETFs, which of course include heavy weightings in solar stocks. Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) and the Market Vectors Solar Energy ETF (KWT) are key solar ETFs in the mix. We have also loosely covered solar via broader alternative energy ETFs of PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy (PBW), Market Vectors Global Alternative Energy ETF (GEX), and the iShares S&P Global Clean Energy Index (ICLN). As First Solar Inc. (FSLR) is the largest solar stock out there, we have tried to show how it relates into each because the weighting and balancing of each fund differs.

Continue reading Solar ETF Funds Are Shining Bright

Solar ETF Funds Are Shining Bright originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It comes as no surprise to me that current investment blogger consensus is bullish on the markets. They're not bullish by an extremely wide margin, but they are optimistic nonetheless.

An ongoing investment blogger survey, conducted weekly by Ticker Sense from Birinyi Associates Inc., indicates that nearly 54% of the investment writers it surveys are holding a bullish stance for the S&P 500 for the next 30 days. Meanwhile, just over 15% of the survey respondents are bearish on the S&P 500, and approximately 30% are declaring a neutral position.

Continue reading Investment Bloggers Are Bullish and ETFs Are Hot

Investment Bloggers Are Bullish and ETFs Are Hot originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Investors should do the same. If the financial bubble blowers at the Central Bank want to trash the dollar beyond repair and risk hyperinflation, then investors should stand at the ready to meet them step for step. The outlook right now is fairly straightforward in the near-term. Buy gold. Consider the SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD) or the Sprott Physical Gold Trust (PHYS).

Continue reading The Fed Is Going All In: And So Should You (FXY, FXF, GLD)

The Fed Is Going All In: And So Should You (FXY, FXF, GLD) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Economic data out of China this week is suggesting a slower pace of growth for the emerging economy, and one options player is trying to capitalize on anticipated weakness in some of China's largest companies. Bright and early Friday morning, a bearish bettor sent a long put spread across the tape on the iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index (FXI).

Specifically, the trader purchased about 11,000 contracts of FXI's November 38 put, and simultaneously sold 11,000 contracts of the November 33 put. With FXI lingering around $40 at the time of the transaction, both of these intermediate-term puts are out of the money.

Continue reading China Bear Opts for a Long Put Spread on FXI

China Bear Opts for a Long Put Spread on FXI originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Time to Step into Oil Service Names?

Time to Step into Oil Service Names? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Contrarian Investing and Large Drops, Profitable or Wreckless?

Contrarian Investing and Large Drops, Profitable or Wreckless? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earlier today, Jeff Reeves argued the case for the ProShares UltraShort Gold (GLL) exchange-traded fund (ETF). This inverse ETF could be a solid investment for speculators who are anticipating a further correction in gold futures -- and judging by Thursday's heavy put-buying on the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD), there are plenty of gold bears on Wall Street right now.

GLD's most popular options strike on Thursday was the July 93 put. With GLD trading near $115, this option is currently out of the money by more than 20 points. This put strike traded volume of 100,000 contracts yesterday, with 100% of these puts changing hands at the ask price -- revealing they were most likely purchased. Implied volatility on GLD's July 93 put rose 2.5% by the close, and open interest at this strike swelled overnight by 99,975 contracts. In other words, it seems safe to say that new bearish bets on gold were added at this strike yesterday.

Continue reading Options Activity Heats Up on SPDR Gold Trust

Options Activity Heats Up on SPDR Gold Trust originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 May 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Playing the Volatile Gold Market

Playing the Volatile Gold Market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 May 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Three Retail ETFs Beating the Market Four Times Over

Three Retail ETFs Beating the Market Four Times Over originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 May 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As a massive oil spill reaches the Louisiana coast, many environmentalists are quick to point out that this oil spill should eclipse the Exxon Valdez disaster.

The White House has even noted that this spill is "a leak of national significance," demanding that no additional drilling take place until the investigation into the oil spill is complete. David Axelrod, White House senior adviser, noted that the president "said he is not going to continue the moratorium on drilling but ... no additional drilling has been authorized and none will until we find out what happened here and whether there was something unique and preventable here." The "here" in the quote refers to the current oil spill.

Continue reading How Will the Gulf Oil Spill Impact Oil Stocks?

How Will the Gulf Oil Spill Impact Oil Stocks? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Air travel continues in a state of flux thanks to a "huge cloud of ash" emanating from an Iceland volcanic eruption. In fact, this cloud of ash has covered half of Europe and caused the "largest disruption of air travel since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks."

After 6,000 flights were grounded yesterday, 17,000 are expected to remain on the tarmac today. What is the problem? Volcanic ash can block engines and cause them to fail. The problem isn't only in Europe, it has forced the cancellation of half of all trans-Atlantic flights. With thousands of air travelers stranded across the globe and no end in sight, is this another black eye for air carriers?

Continue reading Could Volcanic Ash Make Airlines Go up in Smoke?

Could Volcanic Ash Make Airlines Go up in Smoke? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading EarthLink Class Action Ends in Refunds and Reduced Fees

EarthLink Class Action Ends in Refunds and Reduced Fees originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Things are heating up quite nicely in the Chinese economy, and if news sources can be believed, the Chinese financial wizards seem to have things fairly well in hand. By face-value reckoning, it appears to be a good time to shift some investment capital towards China. But be warned, things can change on a moment's notice.

Industrial output is picking up in China. The government there reports better-than-expected export numbers. Banks are being pressured to cut back on lending because things have gotten so hot that inflation is now an approaching issue. The monetary mood of the general population is quickly shifting from a liquidity stance to an equity mode.

Continue reading Is It Time to Invest in China?

Is It Time to Invest in China? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Inflation. The Federal Reserve Chief and the governors believe it to be the worst of all possible scourges for the U.S. economy. The specter of it looms large as the government throws more and more money at problems like unemployment, mortgages, and bank bailouts. It would seem inflation is inevitable as that money sloshes around in the economy, driving up prices for fewer goods as manufacturers slow or stop production due to lack of demand. So what's an investor to do?

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Investing Options If You're Worried About Inflation

Comfort Zone Investing: Investing Options If You're Worried About Inflation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.