With so many exchange traded funds available now, it has become possible to maximize investment return by creating a strategy that rotates assets between exchange traded funds - such a technique can permit a trader to find sectors that are increasing in price no matter what the current market climate is.

Broad Index ETFs

There are several types of ETFs that can be used to devise a profitable rotation strategy. The earliest type of ETF, represented by SPY and DIA as examples, track some broad market index. SPY, for example, tracks the Standard and Poors 500 Index, while DIA tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average index. Another example of such an ETF is QQQQ which tracks the NASDAQ 100 index which is heavy in technology stocks. These broad based index ETFs allow one to devise a strategy to move into various broad based sectors when the time is right. For example, for extended periods it is sometimes true that technology stocks have outperformed the broader market. Other times, small capitalization stock have outperformed the market.

More Specific Sector ETFs

Such ETFs as OIL (oil), GLD (gold) and SHY (short term bonds), allow a system to be developed that seeks to find which narrow market segment is likely to outperform in the near term and to move the assets in the system into such narrow segment until a better candidate is found. These ETFs provide some of the benefits of diversification that ETFs generally enjoy, while allowing some of the volatility that investing in narrow segments can enjoy also. These ETFs are specific enough to ensure that at least some of the market segments will move up no matter what phase of the economic cycle the economy is in. Thus, sector rotation strategies that can give great returns are now possible without investing in individual stocks.

Of course, the more narrow the segment, the more important it is to use a strategy that finds the outperforming sectors in time to get the benefit of the sector's performance.

ETFs that Cover Specific Countries or Regions

ETFs in recent years have been created for very specific country indexes -there are country specific ETFs for countries (or regions) as small as Hong Kong, South Africa and even Belgium. These country specific ETFs allow the investor to devise a rotation strategy that moves into the "hot" region and then out again when another region is poised to outperform. The last type of ETF that is useful for creating sector rotation strategies are the country or region specific ETFs.

Opportunities exist to profit from ETF trading - the nimble trader can get great returns and minimize risks.

With all the exchange traded fund possibilities for the creative investor to look to - there never has been a better time to use ETFs to devise market outperforming rotation strategies.