Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: What do you think about the ProShares Ultra Gold ETF as a way to invest in gold? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: ProShares Ultra Gold ETF, $60.49, symbol UGL on New York (Units outstanding: 3.2 million; Market cap: $193.6 million; www.proshares.com), aims to move 200% in the same direction as the price of gold. The fund relies on futures contracts and other derivatives to boost the returns on gold. The net result is that when the price of gold is up 2% on a particular day, the ProShares Ultra Gold ETF should be up about 4%. Likewise, if gold falls 2%, the ProShares Ultra Gold ETF should fall 4%. ProShares’ portfolio manager is Maryland-based ProFund Advisors. Since introducing leveraged ETFs in 2006, the ProFunds Group’s total assets have grown to $60 billion. Inevitably, investments like these will go down in value more readily than they go up. That’s because the fund has to absorb the costs associated with buying and selling gold futures contracts. Investors also pay a 0.95% MER—exceptionally high for an ETF. These costs continually whittle away at the asset values of…