ETF Global

Congratulations to Australia’s Adam Scott on winning that quintessential American golf tournament, although we were pulling for the Argentine old boy at the end.  We want to use the occasion to take a look at today’s 11^th place iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund (EWA) which has been a persistent top 100 fund since our inception last summer.  If you take a look at its price chart since then you will see why.

November saw the fund in the top 10 on 7 days including 6^th place on November 14^th when we wrote about Quant’s aversion to the USA.  It was among the leaders of that great run in foreign markets last fall.  Even when our models began to turn their gaze back to the US in December, EWA has always remained in the top 100 and most of the time in the top 50 since then.  Traders could have interpreted its 83^rd place rank on December 24^th as a sell signal but longer term investors would probably be satisfied with its close to 9% gain so far in 2013.  We don’t state sell signals because different investors have different objectives and our models are relevant to any of them.  EWA got back into the top 10 on January 30^th and again on a handful of days in mid to late February.  March only saw one top 10 day when it reached 8^th place on March 6^th but it stayed in the top 50 all month, although April has been more volatile thus far with an 84^th place rank on April 8^th.  That was somewhat of an outlier and it got back to 12^th place the next day and 4^th place last Wednesday.

Following those rankings with the fund’s price action will give you a sense of how Quant and its sister Green Diamond Reward models work.  They won’t call every wiggle and every one of their wiggles isn’t necessarily actionable but it only takes a few days to get a good feel for a given fund’s prospects in the coming months.  If you would like some historical data on a fund you are looking at please let us know at support@etfg.com, we are here to help.  Following our models takes less commitment than golf and will help you a lot more than an anchored putter.  But that’s not to take anything away from Adam Scott’s remarkable 25 footer in the rain.