Welcome to ETF University
I am proud to tell you about a new website my team and I created called ETF University (ETFU.com). We created this website for one primary reason, and that is to help investors learn more about the world of exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
As you may know, I have been a passionate advocate of ETFs for many years. That advocacy has been expressed extensively in my various publications. I’ve also discussed the copious virtues of ETFs on my radio show and my weekly podcast.
Yet early this year, I realized that while I had been writing and speaking about the benefits of ETFs for some time, there still were many questions out there about ETFs, such as how they work; how you buy them; what are the advantages and disadvantages of using ETFs, etc. I also realized that there wasn’t really a single, trusted source that investors had that would answer these questions, at least not a source that would answer these questions the way I think they should be answered.
So, rather than look around for various sites to fill this knowledge void, we decided to create ETFU.com. I want you to think of ETFU.com as your one-stop source for anything and everything related to the world of exchange-traded funds.
Here are just some of the features you’ll find at ETFU.com:
- ETF News: Read all of the latest and greatest updates from the world of exchange-traded funds, including details on new fund offerings, new fund families, new fund categories and new fund strategies.
- Weekly Editorial: Here you’ll find my weekly commentary on topics such as the markets, politics, the Fed, global economic trends and just about anything driving the price of stocks, bonds, commodities and currencies.
- Weekly Podcast: Each week, I will post the audio podcast from my weekly broadcast, Doug Fabian’s ETF Strategies. This podcast includes a wrap up of all of the action in the markets that week, an in-depth look at one ETF strategy designed to help investors beat the market and a look at various topics including politics, economic policy, monetary policy, personal finance, retirement planning — or just about anything that affects your money.
- Educational Videos: We are currently in the process of producing a series of educational videos designed to teach investors all of the basics of how to invest using ETFs. Think of this series as an introductory college course on exchange-traded funds, a sort of “ETFs 101.”
- Special Reports: Here you’ll find special audio, video and written reports on specific topics related to ETFs. Planned topics include how to invest in fixed income using ETFs; which ETFs are best for getting international equity exposure; how to use commodity ETFs, etc.
- Top 10 ETF Lists: Do you want to know which 10 ETFs are the biggest? How about the 10 best-performing ETFs? What about the top 10 sector ETFs? If lists are your thing, then this featured section of ETFU.com is for you.
- ETF FAQs: Here you’ll find a list of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding exchange-traded funds, including how they work, how they differ from mutual funds and how to buy and sell ETFs.
- All-New Podcast: To go along with the new content at ETFU.com, I’ll also be doing a weekly podcast titled “ETF Success with Doug Fabian.” This weekly audio presentation will get you up to speed on the markets and will provide you with helpful hints and education on all things ETF related. Today marks “Episode 1” of the ETF Success with Doug Fabian, so be sure and check it out today.
These are just some of the current and future planned features available to readers, absolutely free, at ETFU.com. The only thing we ask of readers who want complete access to this content is to simply join us.
I strongly encourage you to join ETFU.com as soon as possible.
A Changing of the Political Guard
This week, the American people spoke, and the discontent with President Obama and the Democrat Party was heard loud and clear. Regardless of your political affiliation, it’s simply a fact that most Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction, hence the resounding defeat handed to Democrats across the land.
The big question now is: what does a new Republican Congress mean for your money?
While it’s way too early to tell how this election might affect the stock market and the economy, what we do know is that, historically speaking, the year following a midterm election is bullish for stocks. Since 1946, there have been 17 midterm election years. On average, the return between Oct. 31 of that year and the following Oct. 31 was a whopping 17.5%.
At the very least, the trend in November (regardless of whether it’s an election year) historically is a friend to the markets. In fact, this is the Dow Jones industrial average’s second-best-performing month in the past 20 years, with average gains of just over 2%. November also marks the start of the best six-month period for stocks.
According to the Stock Trader’s Almanac, in the November-thru-April period since 1950, the Dow has posted average gains of 7.5%, vs. a gain of 0.3% for the worst six-month period which runs from May thru October.
In the latest edition of my Successful ETF Investing newsletter, I wrote about something I think is a much bigger driver of markets than any election will ever be, and that is the fervent money printing by central banks around the world.
Yes, the Federal Reserve finally ended its quantitative easing (QE) program, but Japan just initiated the biggest QE plan in history. Moreover, Chinese banks are moving to stimulate their country’s economy with easy money, as is the European Central Bank.
This all ads up to what I call the “man-made” market — a condition that I fear could come crashing down on investors who aren’t prepared well ahead of time.
If you want to find out how my subscribers are making money in this bull market — and how we’re protected from significant corrections and bear markets — then I invite you to check out Successful ETF Investing right now.
Skeptical Election Wisdom
“Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.”
–H. L. Mencken
No other pundit has ever come up with better one-line wisdom than the great H.L. Mencken. Here, the journalist/commentator tells us what he thinks of elections, and I can’t say that I disagree.
Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote you’d like me to share with your fellow Weekly ETF Report readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my audio podcast, newsletters, seminars or anything else. Ask Doug.
In case you missed it, I encourage you to read my e-letter column from last week about how the Federal Reserve’s ending of quantitative easing could affect the market. I also invite you to comment in the space provided below.
