Stocks to Watch

ALPS, the Denver-based exchange-traded fund sponsor known as one of the first firms to actively market ETFs, filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission to market a new high-volatility ETF that will track an index of a hypothetical portfolio comprising exchange-traded put options.

The U.S. Equity High Volatility Put Write Index Fund will be listed on Arca, the New York Stock Exchange’s electronic trading platform under the symbol “HVPW,” and will have an annual expense ratio of 0.95 percent, according to the filing. The fund will be ALPS’s fourth ETF.

With the market’s recent upswing, HPVW might be going into registration at a propitious time. High-volatility stocks generally experience significant declines in a bear market, but when stocks are rallying, high-volatility stocks can experience greater gains.

Although low-volatility ETFs, such as the PowerShares S&P Low Volatility ETF (NYSEArca: SPLV), have been popular since they came on the scene last spring, the high-volatility ETF landscape is more limited. HVPW is

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This deal will add power to Apache’s hold in the region, though Leo Mariani of RBC Capital Markets doesn’t think the terms of the deal are top notch:

“The ultimate price is $6,000 an acre and gas prices need to go up in the next few years for them to make money on this.”

As hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has increased the supply of natural gas in the U.S., gas prices have fallen and will likely continue to do so.Cordillera’s development of the Anadarko basin includes a large number of fracking wells.  Fracking has been under environmental scrutiny because of claims that it causes small earthquakes and pollution to drinking water.In the acquisition, Apache will pay $2.25 billion in cash.  The additional $600 million will come from common stocks.This follows an announcement that Canadian Pembina Pipeline Corp (TSE: PPL) will purchase Provident Energy Ltd (NYSE: PVX).The consolidation of these energy companies is enabling increased domestic development, something that will decrease dependence on foreign oil, particularly from OPEC.Apache was up 0.71% on Monday to $97.49.That’s all for now,Brianna

It’s Friday the 13th, and I’ve been at the University of Miami School of Law’s Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning all week.  This morning there was some discussion on the future for estate planning attorneys.  While online documents may have some limited utility, some  feel that online software can take care of all their estate planning related legal needs.  I beg to differ.  Here are 13 reasons why a flesh and blood lawyer beats a computer program any day – a lawyer can:

1. Listen to your goals and desires and incorporate them into your plan.
2. Offer advice, not just words on paper.
3. Help with referrals to other trusted professionals.
4. Make sure that the documents are properly executed.
5. Make sure that any trusts are properly funded.
6. Make sure that beneficiary designations are properly completed.
7. Makes sure that accounts and real estate are  properly titled.
8. Help with managing assets of incapacitated family members.
9. Help with probate and trust administration.
10. Help with income, gift and estate tax matters.
11. Help ensure governmental benefits for disabled or incapacitated family members.
12. Serve as an advocate in dealing with financial institution and governmental bodies.
13. Care about you and your family!

FRIDAY, January 13th, proved unlucky for nine euro-zone countries: they had their credit ratings cut by Standard and Poor’s (S&P) soon after the American markets closed for the week. France and Austria were stripped of their triple-A credit rating. Three smaller euro-zone countries (Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia) also suffered a one-notch downgrade. Italy and Spain had their ratings knocked down by two notches (to BBB+ and A respectively), as did Portugal and Cyprus, whose debts are now considered junk by S&P.

Though grim, the news was not the blanket downgrade feared by eurocrats. In December S&P had given a warning of a possible downgrade to all euro-zone countries, bar Greece (which could fall no further) and Cyprus (which was already on the hit-list)—just days before leaders of the European Union met in Brussels to tackle the euro-zone crisis once and for all. S&P argu

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Mortgage rates are starting out the New Year at or near their all-time lows, trending down slightly from the week before, according to rate survey figures released today by Freddie Mac.

Average interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped to 3.91 percent, matching their all-time low in the Freddie Mac survey, down from 3.95 percent last week. That’s close to a full percentage point lower than where they were last year at this time, when 30-year rates were averaging 4.77 percent, which seemed very low at the time.   Interest rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages and 5-year adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) also declined slightly from last week, hovering just above their all-time lows. Average rates on 15-year loans fell to 3.23 percent, down from 3.24 percent last week, while initial rates on 5-year ARMs dropped to 2.86 percent, down 2.88 percent last week.   Full post…

The good news is that we are living longer. This means that we have many extra years to enjoy ourselves with our friends and family, with our food, drink and other earthly pleasures. As long as we keep popping all the anti-cholesterol, anti-sugar and anti-high blood pressure pills we keep going. We do all the blood tests every year, the doctor never gets out of his seat behind the desk, he simply analyzes the results, prescribes the right pills and we keep going.   The bad news   We are outliving our money. This means that our pensions, retirement plans and nest-eggs are all drying up while we still need them. So the race is on. Will we outlive our pension and end up poor and the miserable objects of state care, or will the pension outlive us and allow us to spend a respectable and pleasant old age in a retirement home? 0 Full post…