The Advantages Of ETF Trading: Basics

November 7th, 2009

The Advantages Of ETF Trading: Basics

There is no doubt that ETF trading is becoming an interesting topic for many people. The Exchange-Traded Funds market is very detailed. There are many different types of trading in this market and there are many moving parts when one starts ETF trading. This is a very brief look at the advantages of ETF trading and some information that may be helpful to a person who is just being introduced to ETF.

The first thing to be aware of with ETF is that when anyone talks about the “history” of ETF, they are not talking about Wall Street. ETF has been around a very short time and actively-managed since 2008. There are some very large financial firms involved in ETF and that is where the history comes in. One can look at the history of a financial firm or company and see how they have done in other areas of stocks and get a fairly good idea of their record of success.

The next important item to know is that this industry is growing like crazy. In 2008 there were 628 ETFs with $562 billion, in August of 2009 there were 858 ETFs with $674 billion. With the growth has come many different types of ETFs that range from minimally risky to very risky.

There are numerous advantages to ETF trading. It has many of the benefits that stock provide. However, ETFs are usually very affordable when they are not actively-managed. Most ETFs do not have 12b-1 fees. There are lower accounting, distribution, and marketing costs. And, there is not forced purchase or sales of securities to pay shareholders.

There is a tremendous amount of buying and selling flexibility. ETFs can be bought and sold at any time during the trading day. A person can purchase shares on margin and sell short which allows hedging strategies to be used. Most of the benefits of stock trading are included in ETF trading. A person can use stop order, limit orders, use stop-loss orders, and buy on margin options (puts, calls, etc).

ETFs generate relatively low capital gains so have the same tax efficiency as that found in mutual funds. This is because of the low turnover in portfolio securities that ETFs have. A trader can balance their portfolio allocations more economically because of the market exposure and diversity of the trading. And, whether the ETF is actively-managed or indexed, there is transparency. Each day the ETF website posts the net asset value and other information that the trader will want to know for the day before. One is never left in the dark about trading or asset management.

Most ETFs are structured as open-end management investment companies. They must get an exemption from the SEC for form the company and are structured the same as mutual and money market funds. This gives the ETF flexibility when constructing their portfolio. The ETF can use futures and options to achieve investment objectives and participate in lending programs. The SEC has a proposal to make ETFs open-end management investment companies which will alleviate the need to get an exemption.

An individual considering ETF trading will want to become very knowledgeable in every aspect of trading. By contacting a professional who has expertise in the details and intricacies of ETF trading a person will be able to make the decisions and create a strategy that will help them to be successful in their trading endeavors.

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