Alerian MLP ETF (AMLP) Cuts Expense Ratio to 4.85%
Alerian MLP ETF (AMLP), the first ETF structured as a C-corporation, issued a prospectus update March 31, 2013 (pdf). Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses decreased from 4.86% to 4.85% resulting in a non-perceptible change that did not warrant a company press release. Further, the document now identifies...
Fidelity Increases Commission-Free ETFs to 66
On March 13, 2013, Fidelity Investments and BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) announced changes to their long-term strategic alliance. This includes expanding the quantity of no-commission iShares ETFs from 30 to 65, achieved by adding 45 ETFs to the list and removing 10. Fidelity’s lone ETF offering, Fidelity...
The Successful Failure of PIMCO Total Return ETF
Today is the one-year anniversary of the launch of the PIMCO Total Return ETF (BOND). Its March 1, 2012 launch was the most highly anticipated and hyped ETF introduction in years, some would say ever. Today, BOND has $4.3 billion in assets, a one-year total return of 12.6%, and most analysts gushing...
ETF Field Guide for 2013 Now On Sale
Today I am publishing my new 2013 edition of the ETF Field Guide. This 72-page reference is an invaluable resource for every ETF investor and trader. No other publication or website provides you with all the important ETF data found inside. The guide categorizes and provides detailed data for every...
SPY Turns 20
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is twenty years old today. It became the very first U.S. listed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) on January 29, 1993. About a million shares changed hands that first day, with SPY closing at $43.94. SPY was designed to have a price approximately 10% of the S&P...
Vanguard Fires MSCI, Should You Fire Vanguard?
Vanguard has fired MSCI. Twenty-two Vanguard index funds that were tracking stock indexes from MSCI will soon be following FTSE and CRSP indexes. What does this mean to you? Should you be concerned? Should you fire Vanguard as your ETF vendor? Read on for answers. Background: On October 2,...
Class Action Suit Against ProShares Dismissed
According to Reuters reporter Jessica Toonkel, New York Judge John G. Koeltl has dismissed a class-action lawsuit against ProShares filed by ETF investors who claimed the risks associated with investing in leveraged ETFs were not fully disclosed. At the time of the filing in August 2009, I outlined the...
ETF Industry Growth Overtaking Stock Market?
The S&P 500 will soon be overtaken by its children, at least in terms of trading volume. Bloomberg News tells us this in ETFs Poised To Exceed Trade in S&P 500 As Spiders Beat Apple. Combined dollar volume in SPDR S&P 500 (SPY), iShares S&P 500 Index Fund (IVV), and Vanguard S&P...
Five Steps to Avoid Disaster When Your ETF Closes
Nothing lasts forever, not even ETFs. Fund closures are a fact of life. Some ETF sponsors keep their product lineups healthy by regularly pruning the weaker offerings. Others stubbornly ignore the warning signs, and by waiting too long to make adjustments, often find themselves forced to close...
ETF Field Guide Leads Investors Through The Jungle
The ETF/ETN industry’s explosive growth the last few years has outpaced the availability of complete, standardized data. Unaware of potentially superior products, investors often make uninformed advertising-driven choices. Every year the ETF jungle grows denser and murkier. Blazing a trail...
