ETFs

Judging by the growing demand for a variety of hedges, investors are seeking insurance in case stocks reverse course.

Fund flows are sending encouraging short-term signals, says TrimTabs CEO David Santschi, though the quarterly volume of corporate buybacks, highly correlated with the S&P 500, has dropped to the lowest level in eight years.

The put-to-call ratio of SPDR Gold Shares, the largest ETF backed by the metal, is the highest in two years.

Inflationary expectations are a weather vane.

Joel Tillinghast, who specializes in small-cap stocks, said his job as portfolio manager has also become tougher because of the changing nature of the U.S. economy.

Vanguard’s entrée into active ETFs could spur more product development, and more price pressure on other active strategists.

Betterment adds portfolios from Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, a Schwab study shows how much millennials love ETFs and a Connecticut union created a TV commercial targeting the high net worth.

The 10 largest higher education endowment funds in the United States now have an average of 14.4 percent of their direct equity portfolios in ETFs, a 15 percent decline from two years ago.

Vanguard wants to add speciality REITs and real estate and management and development firms to VNQ.

Robos have found a natural partner in ETFs based on their shared emphasis on cost.