Institutional money managers, financial advisors, and investors of all walks have largely embraced the advantages offered by the exchange-traded product structure over traditional mutual funds. The rising popularity of indexing strategies makes it easy and affordable for investors to tap into virtually any asset class around the globe through the purchase of a single ticker. Thanks to the ongoing innovation in the ETF Universe, investors don’t have to settle for a passive strategy; in fact, increasing cost competition among issuers has led to lower prices for both passive and actively managed funds, allowing for investors to tap into a diverse suite of strategies without incurring astronomical expenses [see also Five Questions To Ask When Buying An ETF].
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ETFs have become popular tools for constructing long-term portfolios, with more and more investors utilizing these vehicles as tools to accumulate wealth over the long run. While the bulk of ETFs out there have appeal as securities that can potentially appreciate by a significant amount over an extended stretch, it’s important to remember that not [...]
The debut of PIMCO’s highly-anticipated Total Return ETF (TRXT) earlier this month has been hailed as a pivotal moment for the active ETF industry, potentially opening up the floodgates to significant future inflows. There seems to be an opinion that the active ETF movement has been something of a failure to date, failing to bring in [...]
Bond fund giant PIMCO launched its highly anticipated Total Return ETF (TRXT) on Thursday, bringing to market an exchange-traded version of the mutual fund that has accumulated about $250 billion in assets since its debut in the 1980s. The new ETF is the most eagerly anticipated product launch of the last several years–perhaps throughout the [...]
Everyone is familiar with the SPDR S&P 500 Fund (SPY). SPY is by far the most popular ETF in the world, with nearly $100 billion in assets and an ADV around 150 million. Those numbers ensure that this is not only the largest ETF in the world, but one of the largest funds in the investing space. [...]
When the Federal Reserve announced recently that it plans to keep key interest rates at nearly zero until 2014, it hardly came as a surprise. With the economic recovery still in a very fragile state and inflationary pressures remaining tame, record low interest rates are expected to hang around for quite a while. While stock [...]
As the lineup of exchange-traded products has expanded dramatically in recent years, financial advisors have found themselves with more tools at their disposal than ever before. The extreme granularity of many of the equity products out there allows for cheap, low maintenance targeting of specific corners of the investable universe, while the development of some [...]
As a handful of brave souls find out every four years, running for President of the United States generally involves opening up your personal life to intense examination by opponents, the media, and general public. Generally, the scrutiny focuses on personal histories–arrests, affairs, and lawsuits make for juicy reading. But being a public servant can [...]
Amidst another volatile trading week for equity markets, the product development front continues to buzz with activity as new entrants plan their debuts, while veteran issuers continue to expand their product lineups. Legg Mason, the mutual fund giant and home of legendary manager Bill Miller (at least for a few more weeks) is planning to [...]
The ETF industry’s strong growth in recent years has led to innovation across the board. Now, investors can find products that offer exposure to nearly every corner of global markets through a single ticker. And while many of these new options have been welcomed with open arms, investors have been wary of others. One space [...]
Actively-managed ETFs have been all the rage so far this year as a number of issuers have thrown their hats into the increasingly competitive ring. One person who offered up some insight on this rapidly changing market was Tom Graves, CFA, who is an Equity Analyst at Standard & Poor’s. Tom wrote a piece on [...]
