Posts belonging to Category Exchange Traded Products (ETPs)



Victims of Elder Investment Fraud – A Growing Problem

 

Investment scams targeting senior citizens continue to proliferate in Georgia and across the country. In fact, the Atlanta Journal Constitution recently published an article dealing with financial fraud perpetrated against seniors.  The article (“Financial fraud scams target Georgia seniors”) focused on an 81 year-old lady who was the victim of a ponzi scheme.  A ponzi […]

ETFs Encourage Speculation – Bogle

 

The biggest problem with exchange traded funds is the fact that they can be traded, according to Vanguard Funds Founder and index fund proponent John Bogle.  The ability to trade ETFs plays into one of the top ten mistakes made by investors. That mistake – trying to time the market.  Market timing is speculation, not […]

Today’s ‘Alternative Investments’ Resemble ‘Limited Partnerships’ of the Past

 

Wall Street’s recent promotion of alternative investments should warrant serious concern among investors. It serves as an unpleasant example of history repeating itself. In the mid-1980s, Wall Street firms became enamored with limited partnerships (a form of alternative investment) that invested in so-called hard assets, paid the firms high commissions and fees, were illiquid and […]

Approach Actively Traded ETFs with Caution

 

A recent change in policy by the SEC could have a significant impact on the risk profile of some ETFs. In response to pressure from the industry, the SEC has lifted its moratorium on the use of derivatives by certain exchange traded funds. This move is expected to result in an increase in the number […]

Invested in Hedge Funds? You’d Better Think Again!

 

Hedge funds have long been a quagmire for investors according to informed observers. Nevertheless, they somehow attract money with the lure of spectacular returns despite actual poor performance. Hedge funds traverse high-risk and often exotic territories and cannot be readily liquidated. More often than not, they are doomed from the outset by very high management […]

Will Alternative Investments Fuel the Next Financial Debacle?

 

Investors are being sold more and more alternative investments and large broker-dealers are ramping up to supply that demand, according to the Wall Street Journal (“Alternatives Get a Boost”). The trouble is that most investors do not fully understand these products and their brokerage firm advisers do not fairly explain the risks and problems associated […]

Many ETF Investors May Not Be Buying What They Think They’re Buying

 

Exchange traded funds’ names can be misleading. Many have names that suggest that they make certain types of investments when, in fact, they contain only a nominal amount of such investments. Examples provided by the Wall Street Journal include a an ETF called “Middle East & Africa” that invests only 5% of its funds in […]

Insurance Companies Raise Red Flags on Certain Alternative Investments

 

The recent actions of errors and omissions insurance carriers should serve as a major red flag to investors. Many of these carriers are refusing to issue coverage for sales of certain alternative investments. In other words, these carriers have determined that the risk of loss associated with the sale of certain alternative investments is too […]

More Small Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) are on Death Watch

 

Large numbers of exotic and niche exchange traded products (both funds and notes) have either folded or are on a “death watch.” One such fund, according to John Waggoner of USA Today, has not traded since January (“Some exchange traded funds in ER”).