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Money flowing into ETFs tracking the S&P 500 index is set to surpass the inflows into the individual component stocks for the first time in history. Mike Burnick says this is due to ETFs’ lower costs and fees, better performance and convenience.

China is transforming from an export-dependent manufacturing economy into a domestic-consumption-powered economy. Tony Sagami says the Chinese middle class is spending its money on familiar U.S. brand names such as McDonald’s, Starbucks and Tiffany.

United States and UN sanctions have been hurting Chinese companies that do business with Iran. JR Crooks says that China doesn’t have the power to fight the sanctions, and that the country has a tough road ahead to restore strong economic growth.

Nilus Mattive creates a stock screen for defensive sectors including consumer staples, utilities and healthcare stocks. He also looks at dividend yields, each stock’s beta and the companies’ payout ratios.

Jack Crooks notes that many traders, including him, can fall victim to their own egos, rather than listening to the markets. He says that sometimes, forgetting technical analysis and following simple trading rules lead you to big long-term profits.

Last week’s Fed and ECB meetings were duds, in my opinion, and pretty much what I expected. That’s why nearly all markets will soon resume their major short- and intermediate-term trends. So don’t expect a quiet August. Lots of opportunities and tren

Last week’s Fed and ECB meetings were duds, in my opinion, and pretty much what I expected. That’s why nearly all markets will soon resume their major short- and intermediate-term trends. So don’t expect a quiet August. Lots of opportunities and tren

The Fed, ECB and Bank of England all disappointed investors this week with their lack of action. But Mike Larson says that even if they did more quantitative easing or bond purchases, it wouldn’t have much impact on the markets or the global economy.

Mike Burnick, the new editor of International ETF Trader, tells you about the custom index he uses to determine which way the stock market is headed. He explains how you can track two ETFs to draw your own conclusions about the market’s direction.

Sean Brodrick sees a big gold rally coming, due to negative sentiment among other investors, increased money printing by global central banks, and seasonal factors. He tells you how to play the market using a gold mining ETF and individual stocks.

ECB President Mario Draghi’s comments on the euro last week gave the market a boost. But Tom Essaye says there were signs of weakness within the rally. He also saw a technical indicator in the bond market that could signal a shift in U.S. Treasuries.

Tony Sagami takes a walk down Wangfujing Street in Beijing, China, a popular shopping destination for locals and tourists. Tony notes that many Western luxury brands and fast food chains have made deep inroads into the country.

Nilus Mattive reiterates his recommendation to delay Social Security payments if you can, and offers a real-world example demonstrating how the strategy can pay off. He also lays out other retirement options including the “file and suspend” approach.

Trading the currency markets can be very difficult, with lots of different players using different time frames, analyses and trading styles. But Jack Crooks shows how you can use inter-market correlations to push the odds of success in your favor.

Ron Rowland discusses the exchange-traded funds that offer access to dividend-paying preferred stocks. Most of them are heavily concentrated in the financial sector, but Ron highlights a new ETF from Market Vectors that minimizes financials exposure.

Tom Essaye discusses the significance of the deal between the Chinese energy giant CNOOC and Canada’s Nexen. He says Asian firms are targeting Canadian oil sands projects to help them meet their growing energy needs over the next several decades.

Troubling signs from Greece, Spain and Italy have convinced JR Crooks that the euro-zone is heading toward a breakup. He recommends ways to protect yourself from the fallout, and to profit from the coming downturn in the currency and stock markets.

Nilus Mattive offers Social Security tips for Americans nearing retirement age. He advises waiting as long as possible before collecting Social Security benefits, because it could allow you to get bigger monthly checks for a longer period of time.

Market sentiment on China is improving following GDP growth that was in line with estimates. But Jack Crooks doesn’t buy the hype, and says China will eventually fail due to the overinvestment and overspeculation that caused its real estate bubble.

The markets have been in a tight trading range for the past couple weeks as they head into the dog days of summer amid uncertainty in Europe and the Middle East. Larry Edelson examines the recent action in gold, silver, the dollar and U.S. stocks.

Ben Bernanke acknowledged this week that the U.S. economy is facing severe headwinds. But stock traders still think the Fed will save the day. Mike Larson examines the tools available to the central bank, and says policymakers can do little to help.

Leveraged and inverse ETFs track underlying indexes like other funds. But as Ron Rowland points out, the leverage and inverse mechanisms reset daily, so their performance may not be what you expect and they should be used for short-term trading only.

The Federal Reserve disappointed investors by not announcing a new round of quantitative easing. But Sean Brodrick thinks the decision was due to recent improvements in economic data – in real estate, manufacturing and international trade.

Drought conditions in the Corn Belt have led to soaring prices, and will cause the corn crop to be much smaller than expected. Tom Essaye discusses how that trend will affect stock prices and spotlights the agriculture sector that could benefit most.

Nilus Mattive highlights the new Surface Transportation Bill, which allows private companies to contribute less money into their pension plans. Nilus says these retirement plans are dangerously underfunded, just like Social Security and Medicare.

Tony Sagami breaks down the latest Fortune magazine list of the world’s 500 largest companies. He notes that energy companies dominate the top ten, and that China now has the second-most companies on the list, overtaking Japan.

The structural reform forced on Greece by the EU, ECB and IMF was an unmitigated disaster. But they insist on trying the same policy in Spain. Jack Crooks says the results will be even worse, ultimately forcing Spain out of the euro-zone entirely.

Mike Larson sees major warning signs – from currencies, equities, corporate earnings and domestic and international bond markets – that indicate a collapse in U.S. stocks is coming soon. He tells you how to protect yourself and profit when it does.

Drought conditions across the U.S. Midwest have damaged the corn crop, driving up prices and forcing U.S. companies to import corn from Brazil. Rudy Martin offers his perspective on this trend, and gives his outlook for corn prices going forward.

Telecommunications stocks are not heavily represented by sector exchange-traded funds. Ron Rowland breaks down the telecom ETFs that are available, and tells you which ones may be the correct investments for different types of investors.

Andy Myers says the ECB’s decision to lower interest rates on money that European banks park in the central bank could backfire. They may still avoid the risk of lending, while earning less revenue, hurting bank stocks and the overall market.

Iron ore prices have remained extremely high despite a global decline in steel demand. JR Crooks explains that steel producers are still buying iron ore and operating at full capacity, but he says the trend will end soon, weighing on iron ore prices.

Nilus Mattive normally recommends defensive investments, but today he examines cyclical stocks, in sectors like industrials, materials and consumer discretionary, which are dependent on economic strength. He names the standouts in those industries.

As global economic growth slows, money tends to shift from the emerging markets to the developed world. Jack Crooks thinks that this trend is likely to intensify, hurting Asian currencies and strengthening a long-term bull market in the U.S. dollar.

Many people think that Europe is past its problems, and so are the markets. But Larry Edelson disagrees. He examines charts of gold, silver, the U.S. Dollar Index and the Dow Jones Industrials and offers his short-term and long-term forecasts.

The real global economy is the worst it’s been in years. But stocks are still holding up. Mike Larson says that’s because of massive monetary accommodation from central banks, but he believes the weak underlying fundamentals will ultimately win out.

Ron Rowland highlights opportunities in a fast-growing emerging market right on our doorstep: Mexico. He weighs the country’s advantages against its challenges, and cites several ETFs that focus on Mexico or carry its stocks in their portfolios.

Crude oil prices have been plunging since April. Sean Brodrick examines the factors that have caused the decline, and reveals the one indicator that may help determine how low oil prices will go, and how long they will stay down.

Yields on Treasury bonds are at historic lows, and Fed policies are likely to push them even lower over the next couple years. But Nilus Mattive says solid dividend-paying American companies offer much fairer returns for your investment dollars.

The world is focused on Europe’s debt crisis, but Japan has even larger problems. Tony Sagami says it’s only a matter of time before Japan faces its own sovereign debt crisis, and he tells you how to profit from a Japanese stock market downturn.

London’s financial services industry benefited most from the credit boom. But Jack Crooks says deleveraging and a contraction in the financial sector will hurt the U.K. economy more than other developed countries, and drag down the British pound.

Nothing has worked to stem the European sovereign debt crisis, and central bank policymakers are out of bullets. Mike Larson thinks a catastrophic meltdown that will crush the global financial markets is near, and he recommends protective steps.

With the economies of the U.S., Europe and even the BRIC countries slowing down, you now have to look to the frontier markets of Asia and Latin America for strong growth. Rudy Martin names two U.S.-traded stocks that offer access to those markets.

Health care stocks have outperformed the broad market, and Ron Rowland says the Supreme Court’s ruling today will do little to change that. He breaks down the different segments of the industry, and how they’re each likely to react to the decision.

The markets are focused on whether the Fed, BOE and ECB will adopt more accommodative monetary policies. But Tom Essaye recommends investing in emerging markets like China and Brazil that are already lowering interest rates to spur economic growth.

Monty Agarwal discusses the relationship between a country’s economic growth outlook, its stocks’ P/E ratio, and overall market performance. While growth and markets in the U.S. and Asia have stagnated, he’s finding outsize gains in frontier markets.

Some of the biggest and best U.S. companies are rapidly increasing their business in emerging markets. Nilus Mattive offers three strategies for boosting your exposure to fast-growing international markets, with both U.S. and foreign stocks.

Emerging markets are highly dependent on the developed world for capital, so when global growth slows and money shifts back to the center, EM currencies and stocks fall. Jack Crooks recommends shorting the South African rand against the U.S. dollar.

Ron Rowland explains the differences between exchange-traded funds and mutual funds, and compares their results using the long-term and recent performance of funds in the domestic small-cap value segment.

Sean Brodrick says one chart is the best indicator for whether global central banks are giving the markets the easy money they crave. The CRB Commodity Index has plunged lately, and Sean says it could fall further depending on what central banks do.