As the roster of exchange-traded products has grown to nearly 1,300, many investors find themselves with the luxury of multiple options for establishing a position in a desired asset class. There are, for example, four different pharmaceutical ETFs, three homebuilder funds, and even two choices for playing the automotive industry.
Once the ETF universe has been whittled down to funds that fit a given investment objective, there are a number of strategies for determining which of the candidates represents the most efficient way to play. It makes sense, for example, to compare ETFs on the basis of expenses, depth of holdings, liquidity, and tracking error. But many investors are much more basic in their assessments; there is a tendency among ETF investors to gravitate towards the biggest products in favor of smaller or lesser-known funds. If bigger is indeed better, this approach should work well; the size of a product would reflect its general efficiency and usefulness to investors. But in reality, a big AUM total is just as likely to result from a lengthy operating history and strong brand recognition. For ETF investors, following the crowd isn’t always the best path; often, there are better options available for those willing to dig a bit deeper [sign up for a free Pro trial to access the special ETF research report Gold ETFs In Focus]. [click to continue…]
Futures-based investing has long been a popular option for those looking to gain exposure to commodities that were otherwise difficult to reach. But with the introduction of ETFs came increased granularity in this investing segment, as there are now exchange traded products that offer exposure to a wide variety of commodities through a single ticker. [...]
Last week we highlighted several often-overlooked nuances of popular exchange-traded products, detailing the surprisingly large impact that seemingly minor distinctions can have on a portfolio’s risk/return profile. From the weighting methodology employed by the underlying index to the choice between large caps and small caps for international equity exposure, many details that are often the [...]
One of the major stories of the past few months has been the impressive rally in gold prices, which have repeatedly touched new record highs in recent sessions. Fueled by concerns about the impact of further quantitative easing and weakness in the U.S. dollar, gold has climbed steadily higher even as equity markets have showed [...]
With the end of 2010 rapidly approaching, much of the uncertainty that investors had expected to lift this year remains firmly in place. Equity markets have staged an impressive rally in recent months, but significant hurdles remain in the form of persistently-high unemployment, regulatory uncertainty, and fiscal instability throughout much of the developed world [see [...]
The rise of the ETF industry has changed the way many approach investing. The rock-bottom expense ratios charged by many ETFs have sparked a closer look at the merits of active management and a more critical look at the fees charged by traditional actively-managed mutual funds (see The True Cost Of Active Management). The ability [...]
When peeling back the layers of the ETF industry, one quickly realizes that certain corners of the market have expanded more quickly than others over the last several years. While many of the largest ETFs by total assets track equity indexes, those that have driven growth in both the number of products and total assets [...]
After a chaotic 2008, most financial markets regained some degree of normalcy in 2009, as unprecedented volatilities subsided and a gradual calming of anxieties led to the return of rational trading. But for exchange-traded commodity products 2009 was a rather tumultuous period, as expectations for increasingly stringent regulations swirled and correlations began to break down.
ETF Securities (ETFS) indicated in a filing with the SEC last week that financial firm Susquehanna Capital Group has bought 100,000 shares of its proposed first-ever platinum ETF, with delivery expected by the end of this week. Susquehanna has also purchased 100,000 shares of a physically-backed palladium ETF proposed by ETFS. According to an October [...]
Last week, Deutsche Bank announced that it will increase the fees of seven PowerShares exchange-traded funds, citing “increased costs of managing the Funds due to changing regulatory requirements.” The changes will be effective beginning January 4, and will affect five commodity funds and two currency products.
When gold bullion cracked the psychologically-important $1,000 per ounce mark earlier this year, most investors expected prices to pause around that level, or perhaps retreat slightly. But gold has continued higher, taking on a near vertical trajectory in recent weeks. Gold traded near $1,125 on Thursday, after setting all-time records in consecutive days earlier in [...]
