Tired of paying high brokerage fees? Looking to lower your brokerage commissions? Charles Schwab recently began offering free ETF trades when you open a brokerage account with them. Are the benefits worth it?

ETFs Available To Trade Free Now

Schwab US Broad Market ETF (SCHB)
Schwab US Large-Cap ETF (SCHX)
Schwab US Small-Cap ETF (SCHA)
Schwab International Equity ETF (SCHF)

Available In December

Schwab US Large-Cap Growth ETF (SCHG)
Schwab US Large-Cap Value ETF (SCHV)
Schwab International Small Cap ETF (SCHC)
Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF (SCHE)

Are Charles Schwab’s ETFs Right For You?

If you are a investor looking for longer-term investments or trades and like using indexes; then these ETFs are worth looking at. For traders and shorter-term investors, the volume is too low for me to recommend them. When trading stocks and ETFs (other than the Schwab ETFs listed above), commissions rates are $8.95 – $19.95, depending on the amount of trades placed.

Understand that commission free trading is nice, but with Charles Schwab, you are limited to a few ETFs that you can trade. If the volume rises in these ETFs, it might be worth looking into. For now, the products are too limited and commissions on other ETFs and stocks are higher than most online brokers.

Get more information on opening an account and Charles Schwab ETFs @ www.schwab.com.

If the market is in a sideways or downward movement, you may look at overweighting in bonds. In my income portfolio, I am slowly adding bond positions as I expect the market to continue lower. With the S&P 500 and the Dow forming a head and shoulders pattern (bearish technical pattern), the markets are heading for a correction, as investors got a little too bullish too early.

JNK vs SPY

SPDR Capital High Yield Bond Portfolio ETF (JNK) gets it ticker from the bonds the ETF holds which are less than investment grade. Since they are less than investment grade, many refer to them as “junk bonds”. When compared to a two-year chart with the S&P 500, SPDR Capital High Yield Bond Portfolio ETF (JNK) outperformed the S&P 500 SPDR ETF (SPY). Not only did JNK significantly outperform but it also returned a monthly dividend currently yielding around 14%.

Other High Yield Bond ETFs

iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) and PowerShares High Yield Corporate Bong ETF (PHB) are two more ways to play high yield bonds as they track different indexes and currently yield 10.5% and 11.26%, respectively.

DISCLAIMER: I do own shares of JNK.

One of the best places to invest money is in emerging markets, preferably in the BRIC countries. The BRIC countries (Brazil, Russian, India, and China) have outperformed the U.S. Stock Markets over the last few years. With approximately 40% of the world’s population, the BRIC countries have room for rapid growth with better returns than US markets.

Brazil

Brazil is my least favorite of the BRICs but still offers a chance to make money. The ETF that I use for trading Brazil is iShares Brazil Index ETF (EWZ). EWZ is a trade rather than an investment because of its exposure to oil and currency. Some may like EWZ for an investment; I would rather play individual stocks for investing in Brazil.

Russia

If commodities are not in play, watch out for Russia. Although, Russia offers opportunity, it is highly exposed to oil. If the rapid growth 0f China and India continues, they will need oil to fuel their growth. Market Vectors Russia ETF (RSX) will get you in the Russian trade.

India

India is right there with China in terms of growth. Not many economies are still producing a positive GDP (gross domestic product), India along with China are. If you already have a position in China, start building a position in India using the WisdomTree Earnings Weighted India ETF (EPI).

China ETF

China is my favorite of the BRICs as China has the highest growth rate and expectations. China, with the largest population in the world, a growing middle class, and manufacturing that the world depends on, offers a great investment opportunity. Investors that want exposure to China can do so through iShares China 25 ETF (FXI). This ETF invests in the top 25 largest and liquid Chinese companies.

Exposure To All BRICs Through One ETF

If you are looking for one ETF to get exposure to all the BRICs, try Claymore BRIC ETF (EEB).

BRICs Are Great For Trades And Investments

These ETFs make for great investments and trades but please understand the risk associated with each. The ETFs listed are not the only ETFs to get exposure to the BRICs but are ETFs with good volume levels, making it easier to get in and out.

Recently there has been a lot of talk about the Dollar weakening as the Federal Reserve keeps pumping money into the economy and trying to keep interest rates low but slowly meeting failure as interest rates are increasing. When the dollar starts to weaken, what do you trade or how do you protect your portfolio from inflation?

Buy Gold

One of the safest and most popular ways to trade or protect your portfolio from inflation is investing in or trading gold. The easiest way to invest or trade gold is through the SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD). Looking at the chart below you can see the GLD has performed well gaining 60% over the last three years when compared to the dollar at which lost 6%. If you are looking for another way to trade gold, try looking at the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX). Gold miners significantly increase their profits when inflation picks up; as gold moves up, mining companies profit margins expand.

Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities are another way to trade inflation. ETFs like iShares Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (TIP) give you a real rate of return, do not expect to make a significant amount of money here but rather reserve the value of what you have. What happens when global inflation occurs? Try looking at global ETFs like SPDR DB International Government Inflation-Protected Bond ETF (WIP) track global inflation. Looking at the chart below again you can see TIP outperformed the dollar returning 16% while the dollar lost 6%.

Buy Commodities ETFs

Commodities are a great way to trade inflation. Commodities tend to move more rapidly than the other two ways mentioned above. Commodities ETFs like PowerShares DB Commodities Index ETF (DBC) have big price swings and should be traded and watched carefully. Buying into commodities at the wrong time can devastate a portfolio but when used right they can produce huge gains. You might want to buy the individual commodities like crude oil along with a gold ETF previously mentioned.

Whatever ETF or tracks you choose to use, do your research before getting into them. Make sure you have a good case for an increase in inflation. These ETFs will not do much good to you in a deflationary period.

With the possibility of inflation on the rise, the price of gold is steadily increasing. Will it hit $1,000 an ounce or will it top off and shoot to the downside? No matter what you answer is, there is an ETF (Exchange Trade Fund) that will allow you to buy into the upward or downward move.

Why Commodities?

When uncertainty comes into the stock markets, many investors/traders turn to commodities like gold, oil, or other commodities that are likely to rise. Why trade commodities? In an uncertain market, people still use commodities, some more than others. When there is a threat of inflation or the dollar starts loosing its value, watch the price of gold, which is almost certain to go up.

Be forewarned, commodities can move VERY FAST both to the up side and down. Some of investments below are leveraged products that can significantly increase your profits but at the same time, they can increase your losses too. I always like to recommend stop orders. With leveraged positions, it should not be optional to place stop orders. PLACE THEM!!!

Commodity ETFs

Want an ETF that gives you a diversified portfolio of commodities? iShares S&P GSCI Commodity Indexed Trust (GSG) is composed of 67% energy, 16% agriculture, 7% industrial metals, 7% livestock, and 3% precious metals. A less diversified way to play commodities through ETFs is the PowerShares Commodities Index (DBC) which investing corn, gold, heating oil, aluminum, wheat, and crude oil.

You can also invest in individual commodities.

• Natural Gas and Oil
• Gold

Leveraged Commodities
ProShares offers the following leveraged (2X) long ETFs:

• Ultra Long Commodities (UCD)
• Ultra Long Crude (UCO)
• Ultra Long Gold (UGL)
• Ultra Long Silver (AGQ)

ProShares also offers the following leveraged (2X) short ETFs:

• Ultra Short Commodities (CMD)
• Ultra Short Crude (SCO)
• Ultra Short Gold (GLL)
• Ultra Short Silver (ZSL)

Whether you are looking to trade commodities for the short term or as a permanent part of your portfolio commodities ETFs are great investments that can offer great returns. When using the leveraged ETFs, place stops and trade them; they are not investments.