Market Maker, Mutual Fund Salesman

By Kevin Mahn: We often look to the ETF marketplace for clues into the sentiment of investors. A few of the key data points that we review are total assets and fund flows; creations and redemptions, each quarter. Below, as a point of reference, are the top largest ETFs, as measured by total assets, as of the end of the 1st quarter. The constituents of this list have not changed much in recent quarters. Top 10 Largest ETFs (Assets) as of March 31, 2012

By Jim Pyke:Many investors, myself included, look to emerging markets to both provide diversification benefits and solid investment returns.

By Tom Lydon: Emerging markets exchange traded funds have been lagging U.S. stocks badly in 2011, but recent flow data suggests investors are positioning for a recovery in the group.

By StopAlerts:These charts show the relative performance of Latin American emerging market country ETFs versus both the S&P 500 ETF and the MSCI emerging markets index ETF.The ETFs considered are:

By StopAlerts:These charts show the relative performance of Asian emerging market country ETFs versus both the S&P 500 ETF and the MSCI emerging markets index ETF.The ETFs considered are:

By MyPlanIQ:If your portfolios were ht hard last week, you were not alone. An examination of 20 top asset allocation funds monitored regularly by MyPlanIQ SmartMoneyIQ revealed the following:

By Jim Pyke:U.S.

By Tom Lydon: Investors who are interested in emerging markets exchange traded funds have a number of options for their portfolios aside from the heavily traded iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEM). Alternative emerging market strategies have shied away from the typical market-cap weighted index.