Thursday's ETF To Watch: MSCI Spain Index Fund

By Jarred Cummans:Earnings season is well underway and for the most part, the results have been positive. Of the S&P 500 companies that have reported, nearly 75% have beat or met their analyst expectations. Tuesday saw markets cheer on good news regarding Spanish debts, as major benchmarks had one of their best days of the year. But with both Spain and Italy in massive amounts of debt, not to mention Portugal and Ireland, it seems that euro fears will infect the market sooner or later.

By Jarred Cummans:As we approach the halfway mark to the second quarter, investors have lost most of the confidence that defined Q1. With major equity benchmarks soaring and positive data piling in from all around the world, the U.S. economy seemed to finally have some solid ground to stand on. But recent weeks have seen a resurgence of the nagging euro crisis as a number of countries continue to deal with enormous debt piles.

Jarred Cummans submits:The fixed income ETF space has grown considerably over the past two years, as investors worried about a slowdown in developed markets have bought up bonds despite record low yields. The first 11 months of 2010 saw cash inflows of approximately $100 billion into the ETF industry, and about $29 billion of that total went to bond products.

By Jarred Cummans:Natural gas has been one of the most talked about commodities this year, as its prices have been on a slippery slope, bringing them down to historical lows. NG futures have sank more than 17% on the year as investors have been scrambling in and out of positions which have continually turned sour. The issues for this fossil fuel started late last year, when winter failed to show up for all intents and purposes.

By Jarred Cummans:The past few months have had all eyes fixated on the euro zone and whether or not the currency bloc would be able to withstand its looming debt crisis. Despite a recent Greek debt deal, you can almost certainly bet that this issue is far from over, as it has been lingering around markets for almost two years now. But while many are waiting to see what Europe will do next, others are looking to markets elsewhere to try and find investments with little ties to what seems to be a global hindrance.

By Jarred Cummans:As earnings season draws to a close, investors will soon be forced to face international affairs head on. For the time being, earnings reports from companies like McDonald’s and other blue chip firms have done well to keep our minds off of the looming debt crisis that has been ailing the euro zone for quite some time.

A Greek default appears likely soon as Greece Dispatches Officials to US Over Default Fears. Greece sent senior officials to Washington on Monday for meetings with the International Monetary Fund as it raced against the clock to break a deadlock in debt swap talks that has raised fears of an unruly default.

By Jarred Cummans:Last year was dominated by drama from the Euro zone and the constant worry as to whether or not the currency bloc would be able to keep afloat during tough times. With a number of debt crises, rioting, and threats to leave the currency altogether, this group of countries has certainly been under a fair amount of scrutiny over the past few months.