Why Bond ETF's May Not Be Your Best Choice

Matt Thalman - INO.com Contributor - ETFs


One of the greatest things about the world of finance is we have so many different options when it comes to investing. We have stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETF's, real estate, commodities, metals, currency, the list goes on. But, with all of these different options, it is difficult to navigate through what we should be investing in and what we should leave alone. Each of the different options investors have at their disposal has their own pros and cons.

With that in mind, let's take a look at Bond Exchange Traded Fund's to help determine if they are the best option for you.

Issues with Bond ETF's

First what is a bond ETF? Similar to other ETF's it is a highly liquid asset which investors can trade in and out of daily, hourly, or even by the minute. These funds hold a variety of different "bond's", based on the restrictions the fund manager has set for the ETF. For example the Pimco Total Return Active ETF (BOND) states its own restrictions as following; Continue reading "Why Bond ETF's May Not Be Your Best Choice"

Exchange-traded funds entering new phase of growth

The headlines about exchange-traded funds suggest there are no limits to the growth of these low-cost, easily traded alternatives to mutual funds.

Among the recent developments: ETFs have attracted at least $100 billion in new cash for each of the past six years, growing at a far more rapid pace than traditional mutual funds. ETF assets have doubled over the past three years to $1.4 trillion, with one study projecting they'll hit $3.5 trillion by 2016. ETFs have recently begun to appear as investment options in 529 college-savings plans and 401(k)s.

Yet obstacles are beginning to appear. It has become more difficult for fund companies to launch ETFs that are significantly different or lower-cost than what's already on the market.

"We're close to a tipping point in terms of numbers," says Todd Rosenbluth, director of ETF research at S&P Capital IQ. Continue reading "Exchange-traded funds entering new phase of growth"