ETFs

Exchange traded funds trade on stock exchanges, just like stocks. Investors can buy them on margin, or sell them short. The best exchange-traded funds offer well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios with exceptionally low management ETF fees. They are also very liquid.

Investors use ETFs in a variety of ways, and some investors work only with ETFs and no other type of investment in portfolio creation.

An amazing aspect of ETFs is their diversity. Some investors may create an entire portfolio solely from a few well-diversified ETFs.

ETFs trade on stock exchanges, just like stocks. That’s different from mutual funds, which you can only buy at the end of the day at a price that reflects the fund’s value at the close of trading.

Prices of ETFs are quoted in newspaper stock tables and online. You pay brokerage commissions to buy and sell them, but their low management fees give them a cost advantage over most mutual funds.

As well, shares are only added or removed when the underlying index changes. As a result of this low turnover, you won’t incur the regular capital gains taxes generated by the yearly distributions most conventional mutual funds pay out to unitholders.

ETFs have a place in every investor’s portfolio, at TSI Network we also recommend using our three-part Successful Investor strategy:

  1. Invest mainly in well-established companies;
  2. Spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources & Commodities; the Consumer sector; Finance; Utilities);
  3. Downplay or avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight.

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ETFs Library Archives

Higher oil prices continue to spur stock prices for an array of companies in the energy industry. That includes energy services stocks. Those firms assist drillers in setting up oil and gas wells. They also make, fix and maintain the equipment used in oil extraction and transport....

A key advantage of ETFs is their relatively low management fees when compared to mutual funds. In the U.S., for example, the average expense ratio for ETFs is 0.23% compared to 0.57% for mutual funds.


Apart from the fees paid directly to a broker when buying or selling an ETF on the stock market, investors will also indirectly pay for expenses necessary to manage and operate the fund....

3D PRINTING ETF $26 (New York symbol PRNT; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $48 million) invests in publicly listed companies involved in the production and distribution of hardware, software and other materials related to 3-dimensional printing....

There’s little doubt that the developing world’s aging population will continue to spend more on medical services for years to come. Medical device makers are well positioned to capture a share of that increased spending. In turn, investors in the industry’s leading companies stand to benefit from growing demand....
VANECK VECTORS VIETNAM ETF $16.39 (New York symbol VNM; buy or sell through brokers) holds Vietnamese companies and foreign firms that get a significant share of their revenue from the Southeast Asian nation.


The ETF’s top holdings are Vingroup (conglomerate), 10.5%; Vietnam Dairy, 7.4%; Masan Group (conglomerate), 7.2%; No Va Land (real estate), 6.3%; and Bank For Foreign Trade of Vietnam, 5.8%....
POWERSHARES CHINA SMALL CAP PORTFOLIO ETF $32.21 (New York Exchange symbol HAO; buy or sell through brokers; www.invesco.com) changed its name from Guggenheim China Small Cap ETF in May 2018 when Invesco Ltd. bought Guggenheim’s ETF business.


This particular PowerShares ETF aims to track the AlphaShares China Small Cap Index....
According to IHS Jane, a global authority on military matters, global defense spending in 2018 is expected to reach $1.67 trillion. That would be the highest level recorded since 2010 and the 5th consecutive annual increase. It would also represent a 3.3% increase over 2017 levels—and the highest year-over-year growth in a decade (see graph).


A recovery in the global economy and rising military threats are the main drivers of military budget increases.


Still, defense spending remains low in relation to GDP....
As more countries move to legalize marijuana production for medical and recreational use, investors are getting a sense of the industry’s potential.


Estimates vary widely, but it seems clear that significant growth lies ahead as the industry moves to full legalization.


Legal marijuana markets in the U.S....
ETFs come in all shapes and sizes and numerous factors can influence their investment risk. One measure—standard deviation—aims to capture the volatility of an ETF’s price fluctuations. That metric is used to indirectly identify the volatility of the stocks that the fund holds.


Standard deviation for the price movements of an ETF can be measured over various time periods—daily, weekly or longer intervals....
Sometimes ETF investments can suffer wild, often punishing swings. Here is a brief look at some of the worst-performing funds over the past year. Their poor results highlight the risks associated with specialized ETFs. We don’t recommend them.


HORIZONS BETAPRO S&P 500 SHORT TERM VIX INVERSE ETF $2.26 (Toronto symbol HVI; Market cap: $20.2 million) moves inversely to the S&P 500 VIX short-term futures index....