ETF Database » AGG

Issuer Spotlight: iShares

Aaron Levitt — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:13 +0000

When State Street introduced its S&P 500 index Fund–the SPDR S&P 500 ETF –back in 1993, a revolution was sparked. Since then, exchange traded funds have become the go-to fund for both retail and institutional investors. Assets in ETFs continue to grow and there are currently more than 1,400 funds available for investors. Leading the way is issuing firm iShares [see also How To Pick The Right ETF Every Time]. An Industry Veteran In response to State Street‘s popular SPY, Morgan Stanley, in cooperation with British investment bank Barclays, launched a series of ETFs called WEBS–standing for World Equity Benchmark Shares–that tracked various MSCI foreign stock market indices. Later in 2000, Barclays underwent a new branding effort designed to grow the ETF market. The bank launched over 40 new funds, with extensive education and marketing behind them, and renamed the original WEBS as iShares. During the financial crisis, as a way [...]

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Active ETF Investing: 3 Things To Consider

Aaron Levitt — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:07 +0000

While the bread-and-butter of the ETF industry has been index-tracking products, active ETFs are quickly growing in popularity as several funds have gained critical mass with investors. There are now more than 55 different active ETFs with a combined $13 billion and counting in total assets under management. More importantly, these funds have allowed retail investors to apply professional management to a variety of asset classes and strategies [see 10 Questions About ETFs You've Been Too Afraid To Ask]. What’s the Appeal? For investors, there’s a lot to like about active ETFs. First, given the markets heavy volatility over the last few years, active ETFs–because they are managed by a professional–have the ability to shift allocations and positions according to the economic environment. Recent studies have shown that managers with high “active shares”–or the percentage of a fund’s weight-adjusted portfolio that differs from its benchmark–can produce extra returns for portfolios. Typically, [...]

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Total Bond Market ETFs Battle For Inflows: AGG vs. BND

Stoyan Bojinov — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:00:50 +0000

Total bond market ETFs have found their way into countless portfolios as they offer unparalleled simplicity and cost-efficiency for investors looking to gain broad, diversified fixed income exposure. Through the purchase of a single ticker, investors can beef up their portfolios’ current return all the while tapping into the major segments of the bond market, including government Treasuries and corporate debt [see 101 High Yielding ETFs For Every Dividend Investor]. While there are over a dozen offerings in the Total Bond Market ETFdb Category, two funds remain safely atop the list: the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF and the iShares Core Total U.S. Bond Market ETF . Meet the Competitors Among the Total Bond Market ETFs currently available on the market, AGG and BND separate themselves by being the biggest funds in the space, boasting over $15 billion and $18 billion in total assets under management, respectively. Although these products are seemingly identical, [...]

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Aggregate Bond ETFs: Closer Look Under The Hood

Daniela Pylypczak — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:00:24 +0000

As the ETF landscape continues to evolve, investors can now gain cheap and easy access to nearly every corner of the investable universe. From hyper-targeted options to products that cast a much wider net, the over 1,400 funds in the ETF lineup continue to fill the demands and objectives of practically every investor. In recent years, innovation and interest in the fixed income ETF market has surged as many look to the space for its inherent stability and potential for meaningful current return. One of the most popular fixed income strategies is actually a simple one: establish well-rounded and diversified exposure to the entire U.S. investment grade bond market, a corner of the fixed income universe that has historically been associated with relatively low risk and a substantial source of income [see How To Pick The Right ETF Every Time]. While there are many funds in the Total Bond Market ETFdb Category, there [...]

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Favorite ETF Positions For 5 Super Investors

Aaron Levitt — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 14:00:04 +0000

The ETF boom has made it easier for regular retail investors to add various new asset classes, sectors and markets to their portfolios with a single trade. Features like intraday tradability, low expenses and access to foreign issued shares make them a great way for investors to build market beating portfolios. Overall, the use of ETFs continues to rise and a recent survey by INVESCO shows that these products will make up 24% of portfolio allocations over the next 12 months and 33% over the next three years [for more ETF news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter]. Those positive factors haven’t been lost on institutional investors either. ETFs are creeping into more hedge fund and professional manager’s portfolios as the security-type continues to gain acceptance. Either as a parking place for excess accumulated cash or a tactical bet on the economy or a sector, the growth in professionals using [...]

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3 Simple All-ETF “Core” Portfolios

Stoyan Bojinov — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:00:42 +0000

The proliferation of exchange-traded funds over the past few years has opened up the doors to previously difficult-to-reach corners of the global market, making it easy and cost-effective for mainstream investors to tap into virtually any asset class. While the current lineup of nearly 1,500 ETFs is likely intimidating at first glance, it’s important to remember that these financial instruments were created with simplicity in mind. ETFs were originally designed for buy-and-hold investors; as such, these vehicles are meant to simplify the investing process by offering access to diversified baskets of securities through a single ticker [see also Free 7 Simple & Cheap ETF Model Portfolios]. The largest issuer by total assets, iShares, has taken the themes of simplicity and cost-efficiency to a new level with its recent launch of the “Core Series” of ETFs. This initiative includes the launch of several new funds along with tweaks to the names and prices [...]

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iShares Debuts “Core” ETF Lineup

Michael Johnston — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:37:25 +0000

iShares, the largest ETF issuer by total assets, announced the launch of its “Core Series” of ETFs this week. The move involves the launch of a handful of new ETFs, changes to the names and prices of some of the most popular iShares ETFs, and tweaks to the indexes of others. The moves come as part of the launch of a suite of “core” ETFs designed to be building blocks for the original ETF audience: investors building a long-term, buy-and-hold portfolio [for updates on all new ETFs, sign up for the free ETFdb newsletter]. New iShares ETFs: Going International Four new iShares ETFs began trading on Monday, including three international stock funds and a short term Treasury ETF. The new ETFs are: Ticker Name ER IXUS Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF 0.16% IEMG Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF 0.18% IEFA Core MSCI EAFE Investable Market ETF 0.14% ISTB Core [...]

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IndexIQ Launches New Market Neutral ETF

Michael Johnston — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:57:02 +0000

IndexIQ, the firm behind some of the first hedge fund replication ETFs, expanded its lineup last week with the debut of another product designed to deliver low volatility and low correlations to traditional asset classes. The IQ Hedge Market Neutral Tracker ETF (QMN) will seek to replicate an index that consists of both long and short positions in asset classes while minimizing exposure to systematic risk. The new fund could have appeal to investors looking to reduce risk in anticipation of a choppy market, or simply to smooth out overall portfolio volatility over a longer period of time. “Market Neutral is one of the largest hedge fund investment styles, both in terms of the number of funds and in the amount of assets being put to work,” said Adam Patti, IndexIQ CEO. “After incubating the index underlying QMN for four years, we felt it was an excellent time to roll out [...]

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Daily ETF Roundup: Big Ben’s Rally Holds

Jared Cummans — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 21:56:45 +0000

There was a sense of anxiety concerning whether or not yesterday’s QE rally would hold, or if it was a one time buying spree. Luckily, markets were able to close out the day on a positive note, holding tight to the gains they posted yesterday. Stocks and indexes saw a welcomed rally even today, as the Fed’s most aggressive move in recent memory sparked a vote of confidence across Wall Street. Among the best performers was Apple (AAPL), who released the long-awaited iPhone 5 on Wednesday only to watch share prices close today’s session at an all time high [see also Why QE3 is Just Delaying the Inevitable]. Global Market Overview: Big Ben’s Rally Holds Major benchmarks were able to post decent gains for the week-ending session as they set their sights on all-time highs, and erasing the notion of reaching for “pre-recession” highs. The S&P 500 (SPY) jumped by 0.44% while the [...]

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5 Most Popular New ETFs Of 2012 (So Far)

Michael Johnston — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:00:39 +0000

As many had expected, the first half of 2012 saw the continuation of an aggressive expansion of the ETF industry. More than 120 new exchange-traded products began trading during the first six months of the year, including several innovative and first to market ideas. At first glance, it appears as if the new wave of ETFs have been extremely successful; the funds that have debuted since January 1 have aggregate assets of about $3 billion–an impressive haul in such a short period of time [sign up for the free ETFdb newsletter]. But upon further review, the new crop of ETFs has been a few big hits scattered among mostly unimpressive debuts. A single ETF represents more than half of all assets garnered by new 2012 launches, a situation that mirrors the top heavy nature of the broader industry quite nicely. The vast majority of the new ETFs that have begun [...]

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ETF Database » AGG

Issuer Spotlight: iShares

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Active ETF Investing: 3 Things To Consider

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Total Bond Market ETFs Battle For Inflows: AGG vs. BND

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Aggregate Bond ETFs: Closer Look Under The Hood

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3 Simple All-ETF “Core” Portfolios

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iShares Debuts “Core” ETF Lineup

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IndexIQ Launches New Market Neutral ETF

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Daily ETF Roundup: Big Ben’s Rally Holds

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