Below are our latest blog posts for the week of August 10th.  Click on the links below to view the full article.

As we find ourselves in the seasonally weakest time of the year, most investors are hoping to see 2015 come to a close with at least a marginal gain in risk assets.  Yet, for closed end fund (CEF) investors it’s been a tough pill to swallow after such vigorous upside momentum during the first half of the year.  Unfortunately, most funds have given back their ample headway and then some, squarely putting total return figures in the red for the year.

I will say that I was astounded by the economic activity in Sin City at the height of the summer heat wave.  The prices of everything seemed to be at all-time highs, while the hotels and casinos were packed full of travelers from every corner of the globe.  Everyone seemed to have money to burn and were happy to part with it for a few hours of dining, gambling, or entertainment.

Published on Seeitmarket.com

Today marked the first time the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) broke below its 200-day moving average in 2015. We came close in early July, but managed to escape a full-fledged dip below the long-term trend line. Nevertheless, it is decision time for trend followers that use this metric as a guidepost for buy and sell triggers.

Published on NASDAQ.com

The impact from price deflation in commodity-linked industries has continued its path of destruction in 2015. Despite flat performance in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), many niche ETFs driven by energy, precious metals, and other natural resources have fallen by the wayside.

Back in March I did a comprehensive overview of the financial markets that looked at the technical setups across multiple asset classes. Fast forward five months and many trends have continued to play out with dogged determination. Nevertheless, reviewing fresh data can help us pinpoint key areas that represent opportunities or those that should be avoided.

P.S. Did you know our core actively managed ETF portfolio minimums start at just $100,000?

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