Communicate with the Telecom Sector Via ETFs
Not so long ago, telephones were connected to wires. What a quaint idea. How would today’s teenagers survive? Back then you could only talk on your phone — no text messaging. Even worse, phones didn’t even have buttons to push! You dialed by turning a big knob with your finger. Phone...
AMLP Expense Ratio Surges To 4.86%
They did it again. Alerian MLP ETF (AMLP), the first ETF structured as a C-corporation, raised its expense ratio for the second time this year. It issued another prospectus supplement dated May 9, 2012 (pdf), increasing expenses from 1.40% to 4.86%. Most ETF data sources still incorrectly list...
AMLP Makes Tax Payment and Raises Expense Ratio
Alerian MLP ETF (AMLP), the first ETF structured as a C-corporation, issued a prospectus supplement dated April 19, 2012 (pdf). Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses increased from 0.85% to 1.40%, resulting from “Other Expenses” climbing by 0.55% due to past tax liabilities. AMLP’s press release of...
Open Letter to ETF Regulators
Dear ETF Regulators, It is time to step up to the challenge of your job’s main mandate - protecting investors. Investor confidence in exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) and exchange traded notes (“ETNs”) is at a critical point. The abuses of a very small number of individual products...
ETFs Are Going BATS … and Why You Should Care!
The ETF marketplace changed last month. You didn’t notice? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Today I’ll tell you all about it. You already know that “exchange traded funds” trade on an exchange. That’s what distinguishes them from old-fashioned mutual funds. But what exchange trades...
Health Care ETFs Poised to Repeat Good 2011
The final numbers are in, and 2011 was officially a “flat” year for the S&P 500. Without dividends, the large-cap stock index was actually down a fraction. With dividends, it gained only 2.1 percent. Today we’ll look at some interesting patterns in last year’s sector action — which...
Six Reasons to Avoid Japan In 2012
One of the best ways to make money in ETFs is to not lose money. I know it sounds obvious, but I can assure you that many people don’t get this key point. So if I can help you do that, then I count it as a success. And today I’ll talk about an ETF category I think you should avoid in 2012:...
The Major Flaw of Dividend Income Plans
There is a raging debate regarding the best way to live off your portfolio. Young adults are told, by those older and wiser, to save and invest for retirement. There is never a shortage of ideas and suggestions on how to build a nest egg. For those lucky enough to have accumulated a nest egg large...
TDX/db-X, WisdomTree, and VelocityShares Changes
Sponsors of ETPs have been very busy lately making changes to their existing line-ups. Deutsche Bank renamed the five TDX target date ETFs last Friday (6/17/11), WisdomTree made various name, ticker, and index changes to seven of its ETFs yesterday (6/20/11), and two VelocityShares ETNs will undergo...
Ticker Changes for Direxion and PowerShares ETFs
Direxion changed the ticker symbols for its pair of China 3x ETFs effective June 15. As mentioned in my recent ETF Stats report, Invesco PowerShares changed the name, ticker, underlying index, and expense ratio for seven of its style-box ETFs effective June 16, 2011. The revised PowerShares ETFs...
