Leveraged ETFs were in the headlines a great deal in 2009, but most of the coverage was less than favorable. Misinformation on these products was widespread throughout the year, leading to confusion on many aspects of these products and some unfair generalizations.
One of the primary points of discussion was the performance of leveraged ETFs when held by investors for extended periods of times. Because these funds focus on delivering amplified returns on a daily basis, returns over time are compounded, meaning that the effective return over multiple sessions depends not only on the change in the underlying benchmark, but in the path of the index during that period. In trending markets, the return to leveraged ETFs will generally be greater than the simple target multiple times the return on the underlying index. But in seesawing markets — one where gains are frequently followed by losses and vice versa — the compounding of returns can cause erosion of returns to investors who buy and hold. [click to continue…]
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