ETF Database » ASO

ETF Hall Of Shame: Nine Exchange-Traded Debacles

Michael Johnston — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:00:31 +0000

Over the past several years, exchange-traded funds have enjoyed a tremendous surge in popularity, passing many major milestones as they were embraced by retail and institutional investors alike. Once comprised solely of “plain vanilla” products tracking well-known equity indexes, the ETF industry has evolved at an incredible pace in recent years, and now offers investors exposure to nearly every corner of the investable market. Along the way, we’ve seen brilliant innovations (such as leveraged ETFs, “intelligent” ETFs, and actively-managed ETFs, just to name a few) and a plethora of new fund launches (at last count, there were 850 ETFs in the ETFdb Database). But it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows along the way. There have been a number of missteps along the way as issuers aggressively launched and promoted funds for which the market had no appetite. With ETF issuers pitching so many new products to investors, it is [...]

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Carbon Allowances ETF Throws In The Towel

Michael Johnston — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:00:50 +0000

XShares has announced that it will liquidate its AirShares EU Carbon Allowances Fund (ASO) effective to July 31, 2009, and subsequently dissolve the fund. XShares cited the fund’s small size, inability to attract significant market interest since its inception, and the prospects for growth in the fund’s assets in the foreseeable future in its decision to shutter the fund. ASO, which was launched in December 2008, is a commodity pool that seeks to provide investors with results corresponding to the performance of a basket of futures contracts for European Union Allowances (EUAs). An EUA is an entitlement to emit one metric tonne of carbon dioxide under the EU Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme, a cap-and-trade program that provides incentives for countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon emissions. Cap-and-trade programs have been in the news in the U.S. lately, as the Obama administration has been pushing for the [...]

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The Socially Responsible ETF Guide (Five Minute Edition)

Michael Johnston — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:00:58 +0000

As the ETF industry has exploded and investors have poured cash from traditional mutual funds into these investments, a number of interesting ETFs have popped up attempting to establish market share. One interesting sector consists of socially responsible ETFs, which generally invest in companies with positive and ethical environmental and social policies. These funds will often avoid companies engaged in alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and gambling. A number of socially responsible ETFs have been launched and have attracted significant investment dollars, indicating there is a market for investors looking to gain exposure to environmental and other socially responsible securities. Here’s a quick summary of a few of the socially responsible ETFs on the market. iShares KLD Select Social Index Fund (KLD): KLD seeks to mimic the performance of the KLD Select Social Index, which maximizes exposure to positive environmental, social, and governance factors while exhibiting risk and return characteristics similar to the S&P 500. [...]

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ETF Database » ASO

ETF Hall Of Shame: Nine Exchange-Traded Debacles

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Carbon Allowances ETF Throws In The Towel

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The Socially Responsible ETF Guide (Five Minute Edition)

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