Core Insights - Many savers are turning to certificates of deposit (CDs) for income, which offer predictability and safety but come with lower yields compared to other fixed income options [1][2] - The national average rate for a 12-month CD is between 1.5% and 1.6%, while some higher yields may be available but often come with high minimums or penalties [2] - The ETF marketplace provides low-risk funds with yields of up to 4% or more, although they lack FDIC insurance [2][3] Group 1: Investment Options - The iShares 0-1 Year Treasury Bond ETF (NASDAQ: SHV) offers a pure Treasury bill option backed by the U.S. government, yielding 3.5%, which is significantly higher than most CDs [5][6] - This ETF has historically shown minimal share price volatility, with a maximum drawdown of only 0.4% during the 2021-2022 period of aggressive interest rate hikes by the Fed [6] - The WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury ETF (NYSEMKT: USFR) invests in short-term floating rate Treasury notes, providing an alternative to fixed-rate Treasury bills [7]

Select Sector SPDR ETF.## Featured ReadsOur top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.[Joey Frenette]| 3 minutes ago## If you have over $100k saved and afraid to invest, Suze Orman says do this today[Maurie Backman]| 34 minutes ago## Ramsey's "No Credit Score Needed for Success" Is Only A little Correct## Continue Reading## 3 Safety-First ETFs to Retire in Comfort[David Moadel | Feb 9, 2026 at 9:22 AM EST When you're in or near your retirement years and safety becomes pri ...

The iShares US Consumer Discretionary ETF ( IYC ) is poorly positioned right now from a fundamentals perspective. Not only does it trade at an elevated 23.45x forward P/E, but its components' historical earnings growth rates are in theThe Sunday Investor is focused exclusively on U.S. Equity ETFs. He has a strong analytical background, has received a Certificate of Advanced Investment Advice from the Canadian Securities Institute, and has completed all the educational requirements for the Chartered Investme ...

Outperformance Was Elusive For Active Managers in 2025Almost [1,000 active ETFs] launched in 2025, but did their performance substantiate the demand? Across the universe of funds, active managers for ETFs and mutual funds found that outperformance was elusive compared to their passive peers based on the latest [Morningstar US Active/Passive Barometer report].Only 38% of actively managed ETFs as well as mutual funds survived and outperformed their passive counterparts in 2025. This represented a 4% drop in p ...

Core Insights - The Global X - Silver Miners ETF (SIL) and the iShares Gold Trust (IAU) provide different investment approaches to precious metals, with SIL focusing on silver mining companies and IAU holding physical gold [2][8]. Cost & Size Comparison - SIL has an expense ratio of 0.65% and assets under management (AUM) of $6.7 billion, while IAU has a lower expense ratio of 0.25% and AUM of $81.2 billion [3]. - The one-year total return for SIL is 216.7%, compared to 76.64% for IAU [3]. Performance & Risk Analysis - SIL has a maximum drawdown of -24.59% over five years, while IAU has a higher maximum drawdown of -42.18% [4]. - An investment of $1,000 in SIL would grow to $2,432 over five years, whereas the same investment in IAU would grow to $2,834 [4]. Fund Structure - IAU is designed to closely mirror the price of physical gold, holding 16.07 ounces in trust as of February 20, and has been operational for 21 years [5]. - SIL holds a diversified portfolio of 39 silver mining stocks, with its largest positions in Wheaton Precious Metals, Pan American Silver, and Coeur Mining, which together account for over 40% of the fund [6]. Investment Implications - IAU serves as a direct investment in gold, making it a safer option for investors looking to gain exposure to gold without the complexities of physical ownership [9][12]. - SIL provides indirect exposure to silver prices through mining stocks, which can be influenced by individual company performance and market conditions, but comes with a higher expense ratio that may affect long-term returns [12][11].

iShares Moves Short-Term Bond ETFs to the Big BoardAs the hunt for yield and stability remains a cornerstone of portfolios in 2026, a group of iShares short-term bond ETFs have made a strategic move to the Big Board today.Four prominent short-term fixed-income vehicles have officially transitioned their primary listing to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The move involves the $75 billion [iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV)], the $20 billion [iShares 0-1 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHV)], the $470 mil ...

Demand for bitcoin remains lukewarm as its bear-market plunge continues. - Getty Images/iStockphoto Bitcoin has been unable to catch a break recently. After falling from the $90,000 level to $60,057 on Feb. 5, the cryptocurrency has been stuck in a range of $60,000 to $70,000 for the past two weeks. And bitcoin BTCUSD investors aren’t expecting a rebound anytime soon. Most Read from MarketWatch The slump can be partly explained by the hemorrhaging among bitcoin exchange-traded funds. Since the start of ...

As of market close on Feb. 17, the S&P 500 is flat on the year. At first glance, you may think that stocks are going nowhere, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Mega cap growth stocks have been falling, while plenty of other stocks are soaring -- especially in sectors that don't make up a large share of the index -- like consumer staples, energy, industrials, and materials. In fact, if you were to weight each component in the S&P 500 evenly instead of by market capitalization, the index is actua ...

Thanks to our global coverage we've ramped up our global macro commentary on our marketplace service here on Seeking Alpha, The Value Lab . We focus on long-only value ideas, where we try to find international mispriced equities and target a portfolio yield of about 4% . We've done really well for ourselves over the last 5 years, but it took getting our hands dirty in international markets. If you are a value-investor, serious about protecting your wealth, us at the Value Lab might be of inspiration.The iSh ...

The Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (NASDAQ:VXUS) and the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEMKT:IEMG) both aim to provide diversified international equity exposure, but their approaches and underlying indexes set them apart. This comparison examines how each fund’s costs, returns, risk, and portfolio makeup may appeal to different investor objectives. Snapshot (cost & size) Metric VXUS IEMG Issuer Vanguard iShares Expense ratio 0.05% 0.09% 1-yr return (as of Feb. ...