ETF Database » AGG

iShares: The Low Cost ETF Issuer?

Michael Johnston — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:00:44 +0000

With more than 40% of the U.S. market, iShares has long been the leader in the U.S. ETF industry. But in recent years the competition has been gaining ground, thanks in part to more cost efficient products. According to the ETF Industry Association, Vanguard led all ETF issuers with almost $36 billion in cash inflows last year, handily exceeding the $28.8 billion iShares took in. Much of the difference in inflows between the two was related to a small group of ETFs linked to identical indexes but distinguished by cost differentials; the cheaper Vanguard funds drew significantly more interest than competing iShares ETFs. The biggest differential related to the emerging markets ETFs offered [see also The Ten Commandments of Commodity Investing]: Ticker ETF Index Expense Ratio 2011 Flows VWO Vanguard MSCI Emerging Markets ETF MSCI Emerging Markets Index 0.22% $7,808 EEM iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund MSCI Emerging Markets [...]

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ETF Insider: Beware Of Earnings Volatility

Stoyan Bojinov — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:18 +0000

The bulls took charge on Wall Street last week as investors reacted positively after a number of encouraging economic data releases. Home builders confidence and existing sales continue to point towards signs of a recovery in the battered down U.S. housing market. Better-than-expected jobless claims also helped restore confidence in the domestic economic recovery. Earnings euphoria also played a key role last week, although so far the results have been a mixed bag; industry giants like Google and Citigroup missed the mark, while Bank of America, IBM, and Intel beat analyst estimates. Weekly Outlook The coming week will be stacked with earnings releases on the home front, although several key reports from overseas will also come into focus. Below, we highlight ETFs that may see an increase in trading activity as relevant market data is released and evaluated by investors: CurrencyShares Japanese Yen Trust (FXY): The Japanese yen could experience [...]

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PIMCO’s Total Return ETF (TRXT) To Debut In March

Michael Johnston — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:00:21 +0000

There are hundreds of exchange-traded products at various points in the product development pipeline, but perhaps none of the funds that could debut in 2012 are as highly anticipated as the PIMCO Total Return Exchange-Traded Fund (TRXT). The bond fund giant had previously filed for approval for an ETF version of the world’s largest bond mutual fund, and now seems set to begin trading the product in early March; according to a brief statement on the company’s Web site, Thursday March 1 will be the first day of trading for TRXT. The new ETF will be actively managed by Bill Gross, PIMCO’s founder and co-Chief Investment Officer. Gross is perhaps the best-known and most respected bond investor in the world, boasting an impressive track record of fixed income management. Launched in 1987, the Total Return Fund has accumulated nearly $250 billion in assets. Since inception, the mutual fund version has [...]

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ETFs: The $10 Billion Club

Jared Cummans — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:00:03 +0000

It is no secret that the ETF industry is dominated by just a handful of products. The majority of the $1 trillion plus assets are confined to roughly 100 funds, leaving the other 1,300 ETFs in the dust. But as growth in the industry continues to pick up, more and more funds are entering elite status with hefty assets and trading volumes to go with it [see also Top 5 Commodity ETFs Of 2011]. Investors who are still a bit squeamish about buying into some of the smaller and more hypertargeted products, have a wealth of options available to them. A number of advisors and institutions have minimum requirements for assets under management for the products that they can buy. Along with assets restrictions there are often regulations on age and average daily volume. But for those looking for a fund that meets such strict demands, combing through the entire ETF universe [...]

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Tax Efficiency Report Card

Daniela Pylypczak — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:24 +0000

The year-end periods provides the ETF industry with a couple of opportunities to flex its collective muscle; performance comparisons generally tend to favor those products with lower expense ratios–a defining feature of exchange-traded funds. But early January also puts another benefit of exchange-traded products into focus: enhanced tax efficiency relative to traditional mutual funds. The nuances of the exchange-traded structure have the potential to bring additional tax efficiencies to investors thanks to the availability of an “in kind redemption” that ultimately gives investors more control over the timing of tax obligations. Mutual funds, on the other hand, have a nasty tendency to stick remaining shareholders with tax liabilities incurred as a result of redemptions by others–a development that can obviously be undesirable [see Tax Loss Harvesting With ETFs: 6 Ideas To Lower Client Liabilities]. ETFs won’t allow investors to skip out on their taxes, but this product structure can deliver [...]

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Friday’s ETF Chart To Watch: iShares Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund (AGG)

Stoyan Bojinov — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:00:21 +0000

Equity markets posted mixed results on Thursday as earnings worries in the morning translated into selling pressures on Wall Street, although euphoria returned to the markets after a better-than-expected employment report. The Nasdaq led the way higher in green territory on the home front, while stocks overseas faced headwinds as European banks came under pressure yet again. Gold inched higher for the fourth consecutive day this week, settling near $1,620 an ounce. Wall Street will look to end the week on a positive note as investors turn their attention to the latest unemployment report. The iShares Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund (AGG) is our ETF to watch for today as it may experience an increase in trading volumes depending on how investors react to the latest unemployment rate [see Better-Than-AGG Total Bond Market ETFdb Portfolio]. Analysts are expecting for the monthly figure to come in at 8.7%, versus the previous reading [...]

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How Low Can Vanguard Go? Sector ETFs Get Expense Cuts

Michael Johnston — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:00:15 +0000

Vanguard, the Pennsylvania-based provider of ETFs and mutual funds known for its low management expenses, has further enhanced the cost efficiency on its lineup of sector-specific ETFs. The company announced that the expense ratios on a handful of its sector funds have been cut to 0.19%, making them slightly cheaper than the popular lineup of Sector SPDRs and on par with several FocusShares ETFs. The Vanguard sector ETFs and their expense ratios are now as follows [sign up for the free ETFdb newsletter]: Ticker Sector ER AUM VCR Consumer Disc. 0.19% $348 VDC Consumer Staples 0.19% $885 VDE Energy 0.19% $1,730 VFH Financials 0.23% $538 VHT Health Care 0.19% $725 VIS Industrials 0.19% $432 VGT Technology 0.19% $1,894 VAW Materials 0.19% $530 VOX Telecom 0.19% $366 VPU Utilities 0.19% $1,041 Each of the funds highlighted above will now be at least tied for the lowest expense ratio in their respective [...]

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Ten New Year’s Resolutions For ETF Investors

Michael Johnston — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:00:07 +0000

For most investors, 2011 was a frustrating year; after some strong early gains seemingly pointed to a continuation of the recovery that took root in 2010, the appearance of some major obstacles sent many major indexes back towards negative territory. The impressive late December rally closed the year on a high note, but there is no doubt room for improvement in 2012 as many attempt to return their portfolios to pre-recession valuations. The continued innovation and growth in the ETF industry in 2011 has given investors more tools in the toolkit than ever before, and it has made easier to maintain portfolios of all degrees of sophistication using only exchange-traded products. For those looking to take more control over their portfolios in the new year, we highlight ten tips that can enhance your ETF experience and help you get the most out of the robust lineup of exchange-traded products [sign [...]

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Where The ETF Money Is Flowing (The Answer Might Surprise You)

Daniela Pylypczak — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:00:57 +0000

As the calendars prepare to flip forward, it appears as if 2011 will go down as a record-breaking year for the ETF industry on the product development front. More than 300 new ETPs began trading this year, shattering the previous record set in 2010. But despite the record size of the ETF lineup, it appears as if growth has slowed quite a bit; cash inflows into ETFs have dropped off in 2011 compared to previous years according to data from the National Stock Exchange. Through the first 11 months of the year, total inflows into exchange-traded products stood at about $101.4 billion, meaning that massive December inflows would be needed to match the hauls for 2010 ($118.7 billion) and 2009 ($119.4). Barring a big surge in the final month of the year, 2011 could be the worst year for the ETF industry since 2006. Of course, the magnitude of the [...]

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10 Most Useful New ETFs Of 2011 (For Buy-And-Hold Investors)

Jared Cummans — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:00:45 +0000

This past year was the most active ever for the exchange traded industry in terms of product development; the launch of more than 300 new products shattered the record set in 2010. And innovation continues to run high in the industry; the creativity of issuers is still impressive, as many of the ETFs that have debuted over the last year have offered access to new asset classes and strategies. There are no doubt still stones to be overturned, and many new opportunities in the ETF space. Yesterday, we profiled a number of the new additions to the ETF lineup in 2011 that had been a big hit with investors; nearly 20 of the exchange-traded products launched in 2011 have already accumulated more than $1 billion in assets. Today, we’ll take a look at ten ETFs that debuted in 2011 that haven’t been quite as successful pulling in assets, but that [...]

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ETF Database » AGG

iShares: The Low Cost ETF Issuer?

Related Posts:

ETF Insider: Beware Of Earnings Volatility

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PIMCO’s Total Return ETF (TRXT) To Debut In March

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ETFs: The $10 Billion Club

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Tax Efficiency Report Card

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Friday’s ETF Chart To Watch: iShares Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund (AGG)

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How Low Can Vanguard Go? Sector ETFs Get Expense Cuts

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Ten New Year’s Resolutions For ETF Investors

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Where The ETF Money Is Flowing (The Answer Might Surprise You)

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10 Most Useful New ETFs Of 2011 (For Buy-And-Hold Investors)

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