With more than 1,400 exchange-traded products now available to U.S. investors, odds are that there will be more than one option for most desired exposures. In many cases, the generally similar products targeting a specific asset class or strategy will deliver generally similar returns. But just because two ETFs have names that sound alike or even feature some overlap of holdings, they aren’t always guaranteed to display identical performances. The devil is in the details, and in many cases the nuances of exchange-traded products can result in very different risk / return profiles [see For ETF Investors, The Details Matter].
Below we profile seven head-to-head comparisons of ETFs that may generally appear to be similar. In reality, however, the returns delivered by these products have not been nearly as similar as some might suspect, highlighting the importance of analyzing the nuances of potential ETF investments [for more ETF insights, sign up for the free ETFdb newsletter]. [click to continue…]
First Trust launched two more international AlphaDEX ETFs this week, on the heels of the debut of seven country-specific funds that employ the proprietary stock selection methodology [see AlphaDEX ETFdb Portfolio]. The new ETFs will offer broad exposure to emerging and developed markets outside the U.S., focusing specifically on small cap stocks in those segments:
Emerging market ETFs were hailed as a must buy for all portfolios after 2010 watched a number of these product produce eye-popping returns. But last year had other things in mind, as the majority of these products felt the pinch of volatile markets and endured a hefty slide. The combination of euro woes along with [...]
Equity markets started off the week on a positive note as investors were more than joyful to see Greek leaders accept the proposed austerity measures. Euphoria quickly spread from European markets onto Wall Street as news of the bailout helped to restore confidence in the debt burdened currency bloc, as well as the global economic [...]
It’s always exciting to see renowned experts from all corners of the financial industry come together in one venue. Inside ETFs, the world’s largest ETF conference, fits the profile of such a noteworthy event. The 5th annual Inside ETFs Conference, hosted by IndexUniverse, took place in Hollywood, Florida just a few weeks ago in late [...]
iShares, by far the most active ETF issuer on the product development front to this point in 2012, continued the aggressive expansion of its international ETF lineup this week with the debut of a new product targeting small cap Indian stocks. The new MSCI India Small Cap Index Fund (SMIN) becomes the third product to [...]
iShares continued its torrid pace of product development with yet another first-to-market ETF, rolling out a fund targeting small cap Asian stocks excluding Japan. The new iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Small Cap Index Fund (AXJS) is the first to specifically target small cap stocks in that geographic segment, though a handful of [...]
Stock markets kicked off the week on a fairly dismal note as Euro zone woes resurfaced over the weekend. On the home front, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq both lost 0.13% on the day, while the S&P 500 clawed its way back up, shedding just 0.04% as the trading session drew to a [...]
iShares continued to debut new products at an impressive pace on Friday with the introduction of another India ETF. The new MSCI India ETF (INDA) will list on the BATS, joining several other iShares funds on the third-largest U.S. exchange. Last month iShares became the first ETF issuer to list on the BATS, spurning the [...]
The coming of the new year hasn’t slowed down the rapid pace of the ETF industry, with January showing high levels of activity on the product development front. The first month of the year witnessed the debut of a number of first-to-market products as well as several long-anticipated funds from both large and small issuers [for [...]
The ETF industry is off to a hot start in 2012 as new products continue to roll out by the plateful while the economic backdrop has also improved considerably, paving the way for growth on all fronts [see Early ETF Stars Of 2012]. Leaders in the emerging markets product space, EGShares, have filed with the [...]
