Core Insights - The Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) has outperformed the S&P 500 ETF and Total Stock Market ETF in 2026, returning 7.7% year-to-date compared to 1.5% and 1.8% respectively [1] - The ETF focuses on large-cap value stocks, with its top 10 holdings representing only 20.8% of its assets, contrasting with the S&P 500 ETF's 34% concentration in the "Magnificent 7" stocks [1] - The performance divergence is attributed to a market rotation away from mega-cap tech stocks, which have underperformed in 2026 [1] ETF Performance - Vanguard Value ETF returned 7.7% year-to-date in 2026, while the S&P 500 ETF returned 1.5% and the Total Stock Market ETF returned 1.8% [1] - The Magnificent 7 stocks, including Microsoft and Nvidia, have seen significant declines, with Microsoft down 18% and Nvidia up only 5.6% [1] - The median S&P 500 stock has risen approximately 6.8%, indicating broader market strength outside of the largest tech stocks [1] Holdings and Sector Allocation - The Vanguard Value ETF tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index and holds around 312 stocks, focusing on traditional value sectors rather than high-growth momentum [1] - The top holdings include JPMorgan Chase (3.25%), Berkshire Hathaway (3.04%), and Exxon Mobil (2.42%), with no single stock dominating the portfolio [1] - Sector allocations include financial services (22%), industrials (16.7%), healthcare (14.3%), and consumer discretionary (9.1%), benefiting from gains in these areas amid a shift away from tech [1] Investment Strategy - The Vanguard Value ETF's low expense ratio of 0.03% supports long-term compounding and minimizes costs for investors [1] - The ETF provides a defensive core for portfolios, emphasizing undervalued large-cap stocks with solid fundamentals across multiple sectors [1] - In a market environment vulnerable to momentum-driven concentration risks, the Value ETF offers a balanced, low-cost way to maintain equity exposure [1]

Core Insights - The article highlights the top-performing leveraged and inverse ETFs for the week, showcasing significant returns driven by various market factors, including geopolitical tensions and sector-specific booms [1] Group 1: Top Performing Leveraged ETFs - ProShares Ultra Silver (AGQ) led with a return of 19.04%, attributed to rising silver prices amid trade volatility and geopolitical risks, including a proposed 15% global tariff [1] - Direxion MSCI Daily South Korea Bull 3X Shares (KORU) achieved a return of 17.22%, benefiting from a decoupling from declining US markets and a surge in AI-driven semiconductor and defense stocks [1] - GraniteShares 2x Long AMZN Daily ETF (AMZZ) returned 11.54%, as Amazon's stock gained due to reassessment of its AI and cloud profitability [1] - Direxion Daily AMZN Bull 2X Shares (AMZU) also performed well, with a return of 11.41%, reflecting similar trends in Amazon's stock [1] - Defiance Daily Target 2X Long SMCI ETF (SMCX) returned 11.19%, driven by strong quarterly results and high demand for AI servers from Super Micro Computer [1] Group 2: Other Notable ETFs - ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil (UCO) saw a return of 10.57%, influenced by rising oil prices due to U.S.-Iran tensions and the proposed global tariff [1] - MAX Auto Industry -3x Inverse Leveraged ETN (CARD) returned 9.50%, reflecting volatility in the U.S. auto industry amid tariff pressures and high interest rates [1] - KraneShares 2x Long PDD Daily ETF (KPDD) achieved a return of 9.26%, driven by a Supreme Court ruling that impacted tariffs and institutional buying [1] - GraniteShares 2x Long COIN Daily ETF (CONL) returned 8.35%, supported by strong performance data from Coinbase and shareholder-friendly initiatives [1] - Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bull 2x Shares (JNUG) returned 8.33%, as gold prices surged due to fears of a prolonged trade war following legal setbacks for the White House's trade agenda [1]

Core Insights - The article highlights Alan Brochstein's extensive experience in the investment industry, particularly his focus on the cannabis sector since 2014 [1] - It emphasizes the importance of ETFs in enabling diversified investment portfolios for both individual and institutional investors [1] - The article mentions the establishment of a 79-ETF Focus List by Alan, which includes a variety of ETFs, both popular and lesser-known [1] Group 1: Professional Background - Alan Brochstein has been contributing to Seeking Alpha since 2007 and has a background in both sell-side and buy-side roles in fixed-income and equities [1] - He founded AB Analytical Services in 2007 to provide independent consulting to registered investment advisors [1] - Alan has been a pioneer in the cannabis investment space, launching 420 Investor in 2013, a subscription service focused on cannabis stocks [1] Group 2: ETF Focus - Alan has been writing extensively about ETFs since 2025, aiming to help investors understand the ETF landscape [1] - The 79-ETF Focus List maintained by Alan includes a mix of large, popular ETFs and those that are less widely followed but noteworthy [1] - A model portfolio was created by Alan as of year-end 2025 to assist investors in navigating their ETF investments [1]

75,617,350+$2.40+5.76%$44.05[Albemarle][ALB]• Vol: 2,323,521+$9.10+5.40%$177.52[Akamai] [AKAM]• Vol: 7,644,356+$4.59+4.87%$98.76[Eli Lilly][LLY]• Vol: 4,767,526+$49.04+4.86%$1,058.56[Corning][GLW]• Vol: 19,168,676+$5.74+4.11%$145.25## Top Losing Stocks[IBM][IBM]• Vol: 19,522,684-$33.8113.15%$223.35[Datadog][DDOG]• Vol: 11,431,168-$13.0511.28%$102.62[CrowdStrike][CRWD]• Vol: 15,187,348-$38.279.85%$350.33[Zebra Technologies][ZBRA]• Vol: 1,195,593-$24.099.43%$231.32[KKR][KKR]• Vol: 15,344,019-$8.998.89%$92.19 ...

iShares Moves Short-Term Bond ETFs to the Big BoardAs the hunt for yield and stability remains a cornerstone of portfolios in 2026, a group of iShares short-term bond ETFs have made a strategic move to the Big Board today.Four prominent short-term fixed-income vehicles have officially transitioned their primary listing to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The move involves the $75 billion [iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV)], the $20 billion [iShares 0-1 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHV)], the $470 mil ...

ETF Prime: International Stocks Lead Flows | ETF TrendsRoxanna Islam, head of sector and industry research at VettaFi, joined Nate Geraci on this week's ETF Prime to discuss record international equity flows. The category saw net inflows of over $220 billion in 2025 with momentum continuing into 2026 at roughly $75 billion year-to-date.The [iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG)] ranks second on the ETF inflow leaderboard with about $10 billion year-to-date, according to Islam. The [Vanguard Total In ...

Core Insights - The FTSE 100 has shown strong performance in 2026, rising 7.69% year-to-date and 22.75% over the past year, outperforming the S&P 500, which is down 0.24% year-to-date but up 12.16% over the past year [1][10] Market Trends - Rising geopolitical tensions and U.S. market volatility related to AI concerns have led investors to reassess their U.S. exposure and shift away from American securities [2][3] - The "AI scare" has heightened investor anxiety, particularly affecting the S&P 500 due to its heavy concentration in the information technology sector, prompting a rotation away from U.S. equities [3] Sector Performance - The FTSE 100 benefits from a heavier weighting in banks and mining stocks, with limited exposure to big tech and AI-driven companies, contributing to its outperformance compared to the S&P 500 [4] - U.K. large caps are trading at approximately a 40% valuation discount relative to U.S. equities, with U.K. banks showing compelling valuations compared to U.S. peers [5] Economic Indicators - The S&P Global U.K. Composite PMI rose to 53.9 in February, indicating continued economic momentum, marking the strongest level since April 2024 [6] - U.K. retail sales saw a 4.5% year-over-year increase in January, the strongest annual gain in almost four years [7] - The U.K. recorded a £30.4 billion ($40.9 billion) budget surplus in January 2026, a significant improvement from the previous year [8] Inflation and Monetary Policy - U.K. inflation eased to 3.0% in January, the lowest since March 2025, raising expectations for a potential interest rate cut by the Bank of England [9][10] - Following the inflation data, market expectations for a March rate cut by the Bank of England increased to nearly 90% [10][11] Investment Opportunities - Investors can consider U.K. ETFs such as iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) and Franklin FTSE United Kingdom ETF (FLGB) for increased exposure to the U.K. market [12] - Other diversified ETFs with significant U.K. exposure include iShares MSCI Europe Small-Cap ETF (IEUS) and iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF (IEUR) [13]

Join for a 100% Risk-Free trial and see if our proven method can help you too. You do not need to pay for the costly lessons from the market itself.I last analyzed the Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF ( SCHD ) on January 15, with an article entitled “SCHD Vs. SPY: Rotation To Value Is Gaining Momentum.” The article was triggered by the divergence I observedSensor Unlimited is an economist by training with a PhD, with a focus on financial economics. She is a quantitative modeler and for the past decade she has ...

Market Overview - The S&P 500 experienced a decline of approximately 1.3% last week due to AI-related volatility, but showed signs of stabilization with a 0.14% increase on Tuesday [1] - The concentration of the S&P 500 in the information technology sector is about 33%, highlighting concentration risk amid rising anxiety around AI disruption [4] Investor Sentiment - A record share of investors, approximately 35%, believe companies are overspending on AI, marking the largest concern in over two decades [2] - About 25% of investors view an "AI bubble" as a primary tail risk, while 30% cite aggressive AI capital expenditure by large tech firms as a leading credit risk [3] Diversification Strategies - Diversification is essential not only to mitigate technology exposure but also due to broader structural risks such as high U.S. national debt and complex geopolitical issues [5] - ETFs are recommended for diversification, providing benefits like tax efficiency and a disciplined investment approach [6][11] Investment Approaches - A buy-and-hold strategy is suggested for sustainable long-term returns, helping investors avoid emotional decision-making during market fluctuations [8] - Equal-weighted index funds, such as the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index, have gained 11.76% over the past year and 5.50% year-to-date, offering sector-level diversification [9] ETF Recommendations - Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) has a 60.96% allocation to equities and a dividend yield of 2.47% [10][12] - iShares Core 80/20 Aggressive Allocation ETF (AOA) has 80.44% in equities and a dividend yield of 2.10% [12] - iShares Core 30/70 Conservative Allocation ETF (AOK) has 30.94% in equities and a dividend yield of 3.25% [13] - Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund (MDIV) charges an annual fee of 0.75% and has a dividend yield of 6.10%, with significant exposure to dividend-paying equities and other asset classes [14]

Core Insights - February has shown increased volatility compared to January, with investors adopting a "sell first, ask questions later" strategy due to AI-driven disruption fears [1] - The U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) release provided some relief by easing inflation concerns, leading to expectations that the Federal Reserve may start cutting rates around mid-year [1] Inflation Data - Consumer inflation rose 2.4% year-over-year in January, down from 2.7% in December, returning to its April 2025 level [2] - Core CPI increased 2.5% annually, marking its lowest reading since April 2021, while economists had anticipated both headline and core inflation to be at 2.5% [2] Federal Reserve Rate Expectations - Following the softer-than-expected January inflation data, U.S. interest rate futures increased the probability of a June rate cut to approximately 70%, up from 64% prior to the report [4] - The CME FedWatch tool indicates a 50.7% likelihood of interest rates being lowered to 3.25-3.5% in June 2026, an increase from 44.5% a month earlier, with expectations for July strengthening to an 80.4% likelihood of a rate cut [5] Investment Opportunities in ETFs - Small-cap stocks, which are heavily reliant on external borrowings, could significantly benefit from lower interest rates, enhancing capital availability and allowing for refinancing of existing debt [7] - Suggested small-cap ETFs include iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR), iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM), and Vanguard Small Cap ETF (VB), all rated Zacks ETF Rank 2 (Buy) [8] - Financial ETFs are expected to gain from anticipated Fed interest rate cuts, which could lower capital costs for banks and boost loan activity [9] - Recommended financial ETFs include State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF), Vanguard Financials ETF (VFH), and iShares U.S. Financials ETF (IYF), with XLF and VFH rated Zacks ETF Rank 1 (Strong Buy) [12] - The utilities sector, being capital-intensive, will also benefit from reduced financing costs, making utility ETFs like Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU), Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU), and iShares U.S. Utilities ETF (IDU) attractive options [13][14]