Are Junk Bond ETFs Sending Signals?

It's stating the obvious, but Facebook's (Nasdaq: FB) IPO is bound to have an impact on multiple fronts.

Here's an interesting ETF riddle: Is it possible for a fund issued by the world's largest ETF provider that is nearly five years old with almost $579 million in assets under management that features Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) as its top holding to lead a relatively anonymous existence?

Institutional investors, including public pension funds, foundations and endowments, are increasing their use of ETFs, according to a new study by Greenwich Associates.

Here is the ETF Professor's ETF Watch List for Thursday May 17, 2012.

The Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLU) might just be the best sector fund out there right now.

The Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear Shares (NYSE: DUST) is another must-watch fund at the moment.

The U.S.

As an asset class, municipal bonds have had plenty of negative headlines to deal with in the past several years. There was the credit crisis of 2008 and the ensuing recession of 2009-2010.

Remember that old investing adage, "Sell in May, and go away?" For such a simple-minded nugget of advice, it sure has proved prescient in recent years. With the S&P 500 trading very moderately lower on Wednesday, the widely watched barometer of the American stock market has now shed just under 5% in the month of May alone.

Watch enough CNBC, visit enough financial blogs and Web sites, read enough print periodicals and you're sure to notice that retirement planning is a popular theme among advertisers. Whether its a brokerage firm, mutual fund sponsor or a company hawking annuities, retirement planning is big business in the U.S.

That stands to reason.

Calculating a stock's price-earnings, or P/E ratio is easy. Simply divided the stock's price by the trailing 12-month earnings per share or the EPS estimate for the coming year and you've got a trailing and forward P/E ratio.

Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU), which is well positioned to take advantage of the migration of small business to the cloud, is scheduled to report fiscal third-quarter 2012 results tomorrow, May 17, after the end of the trading day.

The software provider has enjoyed double-digit year-over-year percentage revenue growth for the past four quarters.

Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU), which is well positioned to take advantage of the migration of small business to the cloud, is scheduled to report fiscal third-quarter 2012 results tomorrow, May 17, after the end of the trading day.

The software provider has enjoyed double-digit year-over-year percentage revenue growth for the past four quarters.

It's an oft-pondered riddle: How can the shares of mining stocks lag and even fall when the prices of the metals they mine rise? A vexing scenario to be sure and one that gives to way to the harsh reality that if ABC Corp.

Here is the ETF Professor's ETF Watch List for Wednesday May 16, 2012.

Silver's goose looks cooked so trade the ProShares UltraShort Silver (NYSE: ZSL).

Another obvious play: ProShares UltraShort Oil & Gas (NYSE: DUG).

The ProShares UltraShort Real Estate (NYSE:

Citing "enhanced prospects for new drug approvals and a favorable outlook for mergers and acquisitions," S&P Capital IQ extolled the virtues of investing in the biotechnology sector and highlighted several ETFs offering exposure to biotech stocks in a new research note.

After years being caught in what can best described as a death spiral, the likes of which multiple reverse splits could not fix, the U.S. Natural Gas Fund (NYSE: UNG) has started to perk up recently.

When it comes to ETFs devoted to Germany, the Euro Zone's largest economy, there's just four on the market today, a number that some might consider to be small given the importance of this country on the global economic stage.

For beleaguered traders and investors, it probably feels like ages ago that markets were sanguine and most risky assets were moving higher on almost daily basis. In reality, that scenario was playing out just a few short months ago.

Shattered January/February ETF Romances (RSX, PSCE, PALL)

For beleaguered traders and investors, it probably feels like ages ago that markets were sanguine and most risky assets were moving higher on almost daily basis. In reality, that scenario was playing out just a few short months ago.

Here is the ETF Professor's ETF Watch List for Tuesday May 15, 2012.

The PowerShares DB Gold Double Short ETN (NYSE: DZZ) continues to charge higher.

Play oil's swoon with the PowerShares DB Crude Oil Double Short ETN (NYSE: DTO).

Embrace the ProShares UltraShort MSCI Europe (NYSE:

Look around world and it's getting harder and harder to find safe havens with country-specific ETFs these days. It's not just Europe that's the problem, though it should be noted the ProShares UltraShort MSCI Europe (NYSE: EPV) is looking particularly stylish these days.

There's a plethora of problems on every other continent, too.