ETF Rotation Strategies
One interesting development that was made possible by the vast increase in the number of exchange traded funds available is the possibility to devise a profitable ETF rotation strategy for timing the stock market. Such a strategy can theoretically allow an investor to find the sectors of the market that are increasing in price.
Broad Market ETFs
The first ETFs that were introduced in the early 1990s track major market indexes such as the Dow Jones Industrial Index and the S&P 500. Other examples exist, such as QQQQ, which attempts to match the performance of the NASDAQ 100 Index. The NASDAQ 100 index is particularly volatile for a broad index because if includes a high portion of technology stocks.
More Specific Sector ETFs
Sector rotation strategies are now practicable because of the number of specific sector ETFs that are now available. Exchange Traded Funds cover almost every conceivable sector of the economy, from transportation, to energy and gold. These ETFs are specific enough to ensure that at least some of the market segments will move up no matter what phase of the economic cycle the economy is in. Thus, sector rotation strategies that can give great returns are now possible without investing in individual stocks.
Specific sectors can, of course, move dramatically within a short period of time – making selection of the proper exchange traded fund critical to any ETF rotation strategy.
Regional Exchange Traded Funds
The last type of ETF that is useful for creating sector rotation strategies are the country or region specific ETFs. These country specific ETFs allow the investor to devise a rotation strategy that moves into the “hot” region and then out again when another region is poised to outperform.
Opportunities exist to profit from ETF trading – the nimble trader can get great returns and minimize risks.
ETFs are available for just about every sector of the markets – aggressive traders and investors have a whole world of opportunities (literally) to profit from.
