Traditionally, ETF investors expect to face expense ratios to compensate fund providers and managers for their investments. However, that is not always the case.
Some fund managers may opt to waive expense ratios completely, offering traders access to their investment strategy without requiring a share of the fund’s NAV. There can be several reasons why fund managers may choose to do so.
Fund managers could opt to waive a product’s expense ratio temporarily, to help market their fund as a more competitive option. Some funds may waive the expense ratio on launch to drum up more investor interest.
While it may seem redundant for a fund manager to waive away an expense ratio, fund teams still have plenty of tools to make money. By lowering fees, fund managers can hope to take on new clients, who then may be interested in trying other products from the manager.
Fee-waived ETFs may also aim to generate income through lending stock to clients. Additionally, zero-fee ETFs may gain more income through offering cash funds with lower interest.
In some instances, fund managers may opt to temporarily waive an ETF’s expense ratio if the fund operates in a highly competitive sector. This happened earlier this year, with some spot Bitcoin ETFs cutting their expense ratios to gain a potential competitive advantage.
Competitive Markets
As a very recent example, Roundhill Investments. announced it would waive the fee for its Roundhill Cannabis ETF (WEED ). Until at least July 1st, 2025, WEED’s net expense ratio will be 0.00%.
“While regulatory reform for the cannabis sector has been slower than anticipated, we believe that the upcoming reclassification to Schedule III can serve as a much-needed catalyst for the space,” added Dave Mazza, Chief Executive Officer at Roundhill Investments. “As part of introducing our fee waiver, we would encourage investors to consider WEED as a targeted vehicle to express a view on positive momentum in U.S. cannabis.”
Roundhill’s decision to waive WEED’s expense ratio comes at a somewhat testy time for marijuana ETFs. While only a few marijuana ETFs remain on the U.S. market, funds like the AdvisorShares PureUS Cannabis ETF (MSOS ) hold strong positions over the competition in terms of assets under management.
By slashing its expense ratio from 0.40% to 0.00%, WEED could potentially create more investment interest among the concentrated market of cannabis ETFs. By comparison, MSOS offers a net expense ratio of 0.83%.
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