Momentum ETFs have unique risks

Article Excerpt

Momentum-based investing generally involves buying growth stocks with rising earnings and stock prices. It’s largely unconcerned with the absence of value markers like moderate p/e ratios or high dividend yields. Top stock selections are oftentime momentum favourites—but they’re really only good buys if their profit growth is sustainable over long periods. Unfortunately, if a momentum stock falters, perhaps because its earnings have slipped, momentum investors tend to sell as a group. There’s rarely, however, enough buyers when that happens and a sharp price drop occurs. Here are two ETFs that follow momentum strategies with two different types of stocks (see the supplement on page 89 for more information):  ISHARES EDGE MSCI USA MOMENTUM FACTOR ETF $120.43 (New York symbol MTUM; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $10.1 billion) tracks the MSCI USA Momentum Index. That index selects large- and mid-cap stocks with positive price momentum, but also takes into account their volatility. Technology stocks account for 38.6% of the ETF’s holdings, followed…