One of the founding principles of the ETF industry was cost competitiveness; after being charged upwards of 150 basis points for their favorite mutual funds, investors had grown tired of surrendering a substantial portion of their gains to the managers of big name funds. Now, there are ETFs that charge as low as 5 basis points; on a $1 million dollar investment, that means just $500 annually. Investors can now build an effective portfolio while minimizing their expenses using some of these ultra-efficient funds. But for all of the cheap options that the ETF industry offers, it certainly has a fair amount of products on the other side of the equation. Below, we outline the top ten cheapest and most expensive funds for investors looking to better manage their costs [for more, see our ETFdb Cheapskate Portfolio]. [click to continue…]
2011 has been arguably one the busiest ever for the ETF industry, as we are on pace to break through 300 new launches for the year. As we rapidly approach 1,400 total funds in the space, it can be a daunting task to try and keep up with the tidal wave of new products that [...]
The third quarter got off to a sizzling start in the ETF industry; a surge in asset prices boosted asset levels significantly after two months of freefalls, and the product development activity remained strong after a busy month of September. Close to 30 new products began trading last month, including many first-to-market ideas that have [...]
Earnings season is well underway and investors on Wall Street appear to be quite content with the latest round of corporate performance results from industry leaders. Debt-woes stemming from the Euro zone continue to dominate headlines as investors anxiously await for policymakers to agree upon a comprehensive plan in the near future. Domestic equity indexes [...]
VelocityShares, the issuer behind several popular ETNs linked to volatility-based indexes, made a big expansion to its product lineup this week with the launch of eight notes offering leveraged exposure to various precious metals. The new additions include both long and inverse offerings covering gold (3x), silver (3x), platinum (2x), and palladium (2x). Each of [...]
