The Advantages Associated With An ETF

By Tom Kearney

An exchange-traded fund, or ETF, is an investment fund traded in much the same manner as a stock on the stock exchange. Assets like stocks and bonds comprise exchange-traded funds, and ETFs are traded at a price that is approximately the same as the net asset value of the assets that underlie them over the trading day's course. Most ETFs are index-based. They are attractive investments due to their being inexpensive, having attributes similar to those of stocks, and having low capital gains taxes.

ETFs are bought and sold straight from fund managers by large institutional investors. These purchases arise in big chunks made up of ten thousand plus shares. The shares are usually traded along with the securities that underlie them. This feature promotes liquidity of the ETF fund's shares. It also assists in ensuring that their market price during the day are in close proximity to the value of the assets that underlie them. Large institutional investors therefore act as agents within the open market. Individual investors can purchase and sell exchange-traded funds on this secondary market that is formed.

There are many cited advantages to ETFs. They include: lower costs, flexibility of buying and selling, tax efficiencies, market diversification, and transparency.

To begin, ETFs tend to have lower costs than other securities. This is since they on average are not actively managed, and ETFs are isolated from the expenses associated with having to trade securities to accommodate shareholder redemption's and purchases. Furthermore, the marketing, accounting, and distribution costs of ETFs tend to be low, and they tend to not have 12b-1 fees.

ETFs also offer flexibility of buying and selling. Unlike mutual funds and unit investment trusts which must be traded by day's end, ETFs can be purchased or sold at any time during the trading day. As ETFs are traded publicly, their shares can be bought on margin and sold short. This allows for the utilization of hedging strategies. Furthermore, they can be traded using stop and limit orders. This enables investors to set the particular price points that they are willing to make trades at.

Another benefit of exchange-traded funds is the lower taxes that they have. ETF funds tend to have lower capital gains taxes just like indexed funds do. This is the case since the securities that make up the ETF portfolio do not have a huge turnover. Also, another tax benefit is that exchange-traded funds do not need to accomplish investor redemption's through the sale of securities.

Exchange-traded funds also allow for a diversified market mix. ETFs provide a relatively cheap way to balance a portfolio again and make cash equitable by investing in quickly. Exchange-traded funds can be indexed or managed actively. Indexed ETFs give investors access to a diversified mix of markets, which include indexes with foundations based on geography or bonds for example; broad-based indexes; and commodities.

Last but not least, ETFs offer transparency. Regardless of whether they are actively managed or indexed, the ETFs have portfolios that are transparent, and they are priced often throughout the trading day.

In conclusion, ETFs are investment funds that are bought and sold in much the same way as stocks. Their overall low costs, stock-like attributes, and tax efficiencies make them attractive investments. Advantages to ETFs are numerous, including lower costs, flexibility of buying and selling, tax efficiencies, market diversification, and transparency. - 32373

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