The financial sector was one of the hardest areas of the economy in 2008 and early 2009, as years of excessive risk taking finally resulted in a meltdown that spurred several unprecedented emergency measures and set off one of the worst recessions in a generation. Since bottoming out last March, however, financials have surged higher, [...] Related Stories: iShares Launches Five International Sector ETFs Global X Launches China Technology, Financial ETFs Financial ETFs in Focus: Obama’s Financial Regulation Overhaul