Claymore’s Final Report Card
Tracking error—the difference between the performance of a fund and that of its benchmark—is the best way to measure an index fund’s true cost. While many investors focus on MERs, a low fee means litt [...]
Why Daily Market Commentary Is a Joke
I haven’t watched Saturday Night Live for a long time, but I’ve been thinking about a classic line from the show’s Weekend Update sketch. Back in 1988, during the Winter Olympics, Dennis Miller opened [...]
Is the Market Overvalued? Depends Who You Ask
Critics of index investing often argue that the strategy is not sensitive to valuation. They feel that a simple strategy of buy, hold and rebalance is folly: there are times when the market is cheap o [...]
What’s Next for iShares — Part 2
Here is part two of my interview with Mary Anne Wiley, Head of iShares, who explains what to expect in the wake of BlackRock's acquisition of Claymore. You can read the first part of the interview her [...]
What’s Next for iShares?
Back in January, BlackRock—the parent company of iShares—announced that it had acquired Claymore Investments, the second-largest ETF provider in Canada. Since then, BlackRock has been gradually integr [...]
Is Quantitative Arbitrage Right for You?
[Note: This post was an April Fool's joke!] The volatility we’ve experienced in the last five years has challenged every investor. Yes, diversification can help, but many of the leading minds in finan [...]
iShares 2011 Tracking Errors
It’s report card time in the investment fund world. Every year at this time, all mutual funds and ETFs are required to file a Management Report of Fund Performance, a document that contains a wealth o [...]
Claymore ETFs Get Rebranded
BlackRock surprised almost everyone in January by announcing that it would be buying Claymore Investments, the second-largest ETF provider in Canada. The move takes another step forward today when the [...]
Did Your ETF Just Get Riskier?
One of the problems with actively managed mutual funds is that you can never be sure that the risk level will remain constant. In an income fund with a mix of government bonds, high-yield corporate bo [...]
Under the Hood: iShares S&P/TSX Completion (XMD)
This post is part of a series called Under the Hood, where l take a detailed look at specific Canadian ETFs or index funds. The fund: iShares S&P/TSX Completion Index Fund (XMD) The index: This ET [...]
