Is the Bull Market in Short ETFs Over? (ETFguide.com) and Goldman Sachs' Investments Show Blue Chip Focus (Indie Research)

Share: 

City of Industry, CA --(www.USEquityNews.com)-- 11/26/2008 - Investing Ideas industry alert provided by U.S. Equity News. SAN DIEGO (ETFguide.com) - With 2008 almost in the history books, a quick glance at the scorecard shows short exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are among this year's best performers. Barring a major reversal in the price of stocks, the bears will be winners. Year-to-date, the UltraShort QQQ ProShares (NYSE: QID) has jumped 110.1% and the UltraShort Financial ProShares (NYSE: SKF) has climbed 56.3%. Both funds rise when Nasdaq 100 and financial stocks fall.Will the bull market in short ETFs continue?Short ETFs are also sometimes called 'bear funds.' The way they work is this: If stocks increase in value, short funds fall. If stocks decrease in value, short funds rise. Put another way, they move opposite direction of the stock market or whatever benchmark they're attempting to shadow. Yesterday, ProShares added another 8 short and leveraged ETFs to its lineup. The funds are focused on commodities and currencies. [Read the full article]


Of the five major investment banks in existence at the start of 2008, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) remains, if not unscathed, the least scathed by the turmoil that has wrecked the investment banking business model. Even considering how far Goldman Sachs' stock has fallen and even considering that some analysts are predicting the venerable firm will post its first loss as a public company, it continues to be the best-run firmnon Wall Street, and it was the one investment bank that none other than Warren Buffett was willing to throw his money behind.With that in mind, Goldman Sachs' investments are closely watched.Looking at Goldman Sachs' top U.S.-listed holdings at the end of Q3, which include the aggregated holdings of its internal hedge funds as well as other investments, one can see a who's who of blue chip stocks.The top holding, however, is ETF iShares Russell 2000 Index (NYSE: IWM), where the firm was trimming its stake during the quarter. [Read the full article]

Jodi Capistrant expects to grab as many door-buster deals as she can at Friday's kickoff to the holiday shopping season.But the buck stops there. Jittery about the economy, Capistrant says she'll limit the day's holiday gift buying to the early-bird sales.

For Capistrant and many consumers, the economic crisis will take a lot of the cheer out of holiday gift buying on the day after Thanksgiving, leading to weak returns for retailers."This year more than ever I'm focused on value rather than a particular item because the economy feels more uncertain than it ever has," said Capistrant, of Minneapolis.Mounting layoffs, tight credit and falling home values and 401(k) balances have strapped consumers and hit retailers' sales and profits. Black Friday Down?The holiday season is shaping up to be one of the weakest in years. Christmas same-store sales should rise a scant 1% vs. [Read the full article]

A private equity firm said it is not looking to unload its large stake in Palm , refuting a report by an analyst this week that suggested the struggling handset maker would be in need of cash if that were to occur.

Despite what should be taken as good news, Palm shares were down nearly 9% Tuesday to $2.04. However, it's not a mystery why shares of the device maker continue to trade near five-year lows. Global Capital Crown analyst Pablo Perez-Fernandez believes it's time for investors to be asking tough questions about Palm. In a report released Monday, Perez-Fernandez said that a new round of layoffs by the company, as well as a regulatory filing saying it would sell any of a number of securities, including preferred shares, hinted that Elevation Partners, the private investment firm co-founded by music icon Bono, may be giving up on Palm. [Read the full article]

About U.S. Equity News

U.S. Equity News provides information, resources and news services for investors of small-cap, micro-cap and emerging companies. U.S. Equity News distributes RSS news feeds and a free subscription-based newsletter available through its website at www.usequitynews.com.

U.S. Equity News is a financial news distribution service by Equity Solutions, Inc. (www.equityirsolutions.com) that provides a platform for public companies to disseminate important news to key Wall Street interest such as shareholders and new investors. Equity Solutions, Inc. can assist by providing an effective increase in the awareness of a public company's news, development and corporate story through its proprietary network and its financial portal. U.S. Equity News and its affiliates charge each client cash for news distribution and may take an equity position in the companies mentioned herein, please visit the disclaimer at www.USEquityNews.com.

Contact Information:
U.S. Equity News
Tel: (626) 961-8039
Email: info@usequitynews.com

Comments:
Disclaimer: User Comments do not reflect the views of US Equity News, and we are not responsible for the content of users' comments. We also reserve the right to edit or delete comments to our discretion.

---