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Exchange-Traded Funds or ETFs are a unique investment vehicle. They combine the diversification of a mutual fund with the trading flexibility of stocks. Discover how ETFs work, what they have to offer investors, and some pros and cons to consider before investing in them.
This version of the original article from thepuregoldcompany.co.uk has been edited [ ] and abridged (…) to provide you with a faster and easier read. Also note that this complete paragraph must be included in any re-posting to avoid copyright infringement.
What’s an ETF?
An ETF, or exchange-traded fund, is an investment fund that tracks a specific asset, index or commodity, and can be easily traded like stocks. Rather than buying individual stocks, investors can put their money in a pooled fund that tracks an index like the FTSE 100 or the S&P 500. They may also focus on a sector like technology, or a commodity like gold. ETFs are usually passively managed, meaning they only track the gold price or the stock index, rather than being actively managed by a fund manager who buys and sells stocks in a bid to beat the market.
How do ETF’s Work?
#$$4$ An ETF is bought and sold like a stock throughout the day and the price moves up and down in the same way but, unlike a stock, the number of ETF shares outstanding changes as shares are created or redeemed. This allows the price to remain largely in line with the underlying security or commodity it is tracking. That said, ETFs trade at market prices and can deviate from the price of the underlying asset depending on market forces.
Why Are ETFs Popular?
ETFs allow investment in an asset without having to buy into that physical asset. The pooled resource of the fund allows investors exposure to all these assets in one basket when investing individually would be prohibitive. They are also convenient because they can be traded throughout the day, whereas a traditional mutual fund is only traded once a day.
What Are the Benefits of ETFs?
After an eventful year in the markets, investors are looking for ways to make their money grow. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer a simple and straightforward way to invest in stocks or bonds without having to worry about picking individual securities. ETFs trade like stocks on the major exchanges, allowing them to be bought or sold at any time during market hours. This flexibility is one of many benefits that ETFs provide.
Types of ETF
Some of the more common types of ETFs track:
- market indexes like the S&P 500…
- financial or health-care focused funds, or…
- a commodity like gold, coffee or oil…
Key benefits of ETFs
- Diversification because it enables exposure to a wide sector or index rather than an individual stock [while, at the same time, given]…, the thematic nature of the investments (in a sector, an index or a commodity) investors can still…target that sector or index.
- …their holdings are usually disclosed daily, compared with monthly or quarterly for mutual funds;
- …there may be tax advantages…compared to mutual funds.
- Index-tracking ETFs have a lower turnover because they’re not actively managed so generate fewer capital gains than actively managed mutual funds.
- Also, the way ETF shares are created and redeemed also limits the number of taxable incidences, therefore lowering the tax burden.
What are the disadvantages of ETFs?
- Depending on how you invest and how often, trading costs may be higher than in other funds or even investing in the individual stock itself;
- there may be times when the bid/ask spread is wide. This means the price you can buy at is different to the price you can sell the ETF for, and the danger is buying too high and having to sell at a loss
- and, while ETFs are designed to reflect the underlying commodity, sector or index, tracking errors can occur for various reasons and, as such, the ETF may not entirely reflect the underlying asset.
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