Goldman Sachs headquarters in New York
Wall Street survivors like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase have survived the crush of recession and are profiting on the upside.
ETFs like the iShares Dow Jones U.S. Broker-Dealers Index Fund and the RevenueShares Financials Sector ETF , heavily weighted towards these companies, should continue to prosper. Like it or not, Goldman Sachs survived the downturn. Individual investors may not be able to control bonuses, but they can continue to benefit from the rise in Goldman's stock.
On the brokerage side, highlighted by iShares' Broker Dealer ETF, firms like GS and Morgan Stanley will benefit in the wake of fallen comrades like Lehman and Bear Stearns.
Less competition means a greater piece of the pie, and these firms continue to be at the forefront of trading technology. In addition to GS and MS, IAI's top five components include the CME Group , Ameriprise Financial and Schwab .
IAI tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Select Investment Services Index, a narrowly-themed group that includes brokers and dealers and commodity and stock exchanges. While this bunch was hit hard by the economic downturn, IAI has risen nearly 45 per cent year to date.
The recent launch of Schwab's proprietary ETFs gives investors a unique view of what some of these firms will be up to in the future. By offering asset management clients a "one-stop shop" for trading needs, SCHW will help to cultivate a client base that stays in-house for transactions. These recurring fees will help firms like SCHW to continue growing.
If you are looking for a broader angle on the financial sector, funds like iShares Dow Jones US Financial Services and RevenueShares Financials Sector. While IYG is, by far, the larger and more liquid fund, it has a lower exposure to Goldman Sachs.
RWW, which is still relatively new, uses a revenue-weighted strategy rather than the more common capitalization-weighted approach. When it comes to financials, this strategy gives investors access to the give financial behemoths at the top of this fund: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Bank of America and Citigroup . Since the RevenueShares offering has yet to gain steam, and investor interest, it may be a fund best watched from the sidelines for average investors. The revenue-weighted strategy, however, is certainly one to keep an eye on. In the meantime, investors can gain access to firms like Goldman through IAI.