The best ETFs will share these characteristics

Article Excerpt

Exchange-traded funds offer a simple and convenient way for investors to access a variety of investment strategies. From plain vanilla, index-tracking funds focused on stocks, to high-risk, highly leveraged ETFs focused on the most volatile commodities, all are available to investors. Here we look at the characteristics of what makes an ETF attractive for savvy investors. Living up to the ETF’s promise A key challenge for ETF investors is to ensure that the performance of their ETFs reflects the stated objectives of the funds. An example is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (symbol SPY) that aims to track the performance of the S&P 500 index. Over the past 5 years, the ETF delivered a total return that deviated by less than 1% from the S&P 500 index. This ETF does meet its objective. Some ETFs are less clear on their objectives; the eventual performance of these ETFs may surprise investors. An example is the Horizons BetaPro Crude Oil Leveraged Daily Bull ETF…