ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) have grown by leaps and bounds the last five years. They have become a popular way to play sectors of the market. They are low cost and very liquid. They can be traded just like stocks are are used for both short term trading as well as part of a long-term core portfolio. There is an ETF for virtually every sector of the market. What I like best is the ability to short the market with short and ultra-short index funds. You can also diversify out of the U.S. dollar by buying foreign currency ETFs. Here is a partial list of the more popular ETFs.-Lou


Long ETFs (Bullish)
DIA Dow Jones Industrials
SPY S & P 500
QQQQ Nasdaq
XLF Financials
XLE Energy
USO Oil
XLK Technology
GLD Gold
SLV Silver

SHORT ETFS (Bearish)
SH S & P 500
DOG Dow Jones Industrials
PSQ Nasdaq

ULTRA SHORT (2 or 3 times short)
SDS S & P 500
SKF Financials
DXD Dow Jones Industrials
QID Nasdaq
DUG Oil & Gas
SCO Oil

FOREIGN CURRENCY
FXE Euro
FXF Swiss Franc
FXC Canadian Dollar
FXA Australian Dollar
FXY Japanese Yen

For more information on ETFs as well a complete list of funds go here:
http://finance.yahoo.com/etf