Pass on this ETF

Article Excerpt

Tesla Yield Shares Purpose ETF $17.40 (CBOE symbol YTSL) invests in Tesla shares, sells call options against the investment, and employs debt to further boost returns. Foreign currency exposure is hedged back to the Canadian dollar. The ETF launched in December 2022, holds $152.4 million of assets, and charges a very high MER of 1.81%. The ETF combines a covered call strategy (covering around 50% of its Tesla holdings) with leverage (debt) to generate monthly income, while aiming to preserve some of the growth potential of the underlying stocks. Since its inception, the ETF’s unit price has declined by 1.6%; however, as the fund paid large dividends derived from its covered call income, the total return was 58.2%. This is an excellent return compared to most assets—except when compared to Tesla’s stock, which gained 93.4% over the same time frame. With Tesla shares in decline this year, the ETF lost 40% of its value compared to a 32% loss of the Tesla shares. This shows that…