BATS Global Markets, the third-largest U.S. stock exchange, is putting the heat on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq by waiving annual listing fees for ETFs with average daily trading volume of more than 2 million shares.

Fund sponsors listing ETFs on BATS will need to cross that crucial 2 million share barrier to get the best deal, because it appears Nasdaq has the cheapest listing fees of any of the three exchanges. Nasdaq charges a $5,000 initial-listing fee, and its annual fees range from $6,500 to $14,500 a year, according to a Nasdaq official.

BATS will charge an initial listing fee of $10,000, and those ETF sponsors whose funds don’t break the 2 million-share barrier in average daily trading volume will have to pay a $35,000 per-year listing fee, according to information BATS provided in a press release. T

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As if the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, spawned from the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, wasn’t controversial enough, it is now under fire as a result of President Obama’s “recess” appointment of its new director, Richard Cordray. The quotation marks are there because the appointment is certain to come under legal challenges by Republican leaders who insist that they were not in recess.

We’ll let the courts sort that one out. The larger controversy lies in its ultimate impact on the public, as consumers and as citizens. While con

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BATS Global Markets, the third-largest U.S. stock exchange, said today iShares will become the first exchange-traded fund sponsor to use BATS as a primary listing venue, beginning on Jan. 24 with the launch of a single-country ETF focused on Norway.

The iShares MSCI Norway Capped Investable Market Index Fund (BATS: ENOR) will be the first of eight single-country ETFs iShares will list with Kansas City, Mo.-based BATS, which announced last year it was entering the primary listing business. The other seven iShares ETFs will begin trading soon after Jan. 24, BATS said in a press release.

Breaking into a primary-listings market dominated by the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq is a tall order. But getting its first listings from ETF giant iShares appears to be a good start.

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With personal savings playing an increasingly larger role in people’s financial lives, understanding how to maximize the benefits of a savings account is important if you want to get the most from them.

Today, people are faced with numerous choices when it comes to their savings, and with the availability of online banking that can put your savings account at your fingertips, the need for an effective savings strategy is greater than ever.

Choosing the Right Place to Save

There has never been a shortage of finacial institutions offering savings accounts, and with the advent of internet-based direct savings institutions, the number has grown exponentially.

While having choices is always a good thing, too many can lead to confusion and even despair when you need to find the right place for your savings  The key is to begin your search with your own set of criteria and then narrow the choices based on their ability to address your specific needs.

Account Access: For most people, access is their primary concern, being able to get in touch with their savings and a person who can address their needs.  In fact, the majority of people want quick access to their savings in case of an emergency or unforeseen expenses.

In the past, that meant having an account with an institution that had a branch within a short drive.  Studies have shown, however, that with the availability of online banking and savings, most people rarely visit their local branch, preferring instead to bank from the comfort of their home or wherever their smartphone takes them.

Savings Options: Most savings institutions offer a range of savings products designed to meet various savings needs. Whil

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State Street Global Advisors, the company behind the SPDR ETFs, filed papers with U.S. regulators to market two fixed-income ETFs: one that would track the breakeven inflation rate in the U.S. through a long/short portfolio, the other a commercial paper fund.

The SPDR Barclays Capital Breakeven Inflation ETF will replicate the Barclays Capital U.S. Breakeven Inflation Aggregate Index and capture the returns of long positions in U.S. Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) while simultaneously holding short positions in corresponding nominal U.S. Treasury bonds.

The long TIPS/short U.S. Treasurys portfolio will allow investors to track breakeven inflation, which is the level of inflation required for TIPS to approximate the performance of U.S. Treasurys with equivalent duration.

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