ETF Exchange Traded Funds Screener iShares

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July 15, 2010 New Video - EUO Euro ProShares ETF Analysis

June 17, 2010 - The ETF Statistics That Really Matter - by Morningstar

As a bit of a sports enthusiast, I can't help but see a notable similarity between America's favorite pastime and investing: a deep love for statistics.

Most baseball fans are familiar with the common statistics that can be found on the backs of baseball cards: ERAs, RBIs, batting averages, etc. But the professionals who run baseball teams, along with true baseball diehards, use far more sophisticated measures of performance in order to gauge the relative quality of ballplayers.

Like baseball fans, ETF investors have come to rely on three simple statistics to drive their investment decisions: return, expense ratio, and daily trading volume. While these terms will suffice for the uninitiated, we at Morningstar ETFInvestor are sophisticated users of these instruments and thus are ready to move beyond such basic data points.

Now, there are hundreds of data points and calculations for ETFs in the Morningstar database. Below, in no particular order of importance, I've detailed six statistics I think don't receive enough attention from ETF investors.

1. Daily Dollar Trading Volume

Volume statistics are generally quoted in terms of shares. The problem with this is most investors think in terms of how much money they are looking to invest, not at how many shares. The other problem is that ETF share prices can range greatly. The result is that a 30,000 average daily volume for an ETF that trades for $3 is lot different from one that trades for $100, in terms of actual dollars transacting on any given day.

So why is something this rudimentary even worth discussing? Because of a growing chorus of "rules" that I keep hearing about regarding ETF liquidity minimums. Whether it's from my ETFInvestor subscribers or even whole advisor platforms, I hear mention of average daily volume minimums that ETFs must have in order to be considered for investing. Now, there is nothing wrong with having some sort of minimum to reduce issues down the road, but share volume is not the right way to go about it. The aforementioned variance in ETF share prices means that just purely looking at volume may skew the amount of dollars being transacted by anywhere from a 2 times to 10 times degree.

Daily dollar volume is a complicated statistic to calculate and collect. To accurately calculate it, you need to capture the daily dollar volume every day and average that--as opposed to just multiplying the average share volume with the average share price over a three-month period. Of course, for most investors, this level of precision isn't necessary to get an idea of how liquid an ETF is. My advice is to just multiply the share price with the average daily volume, and that should give you an accurate enough picture as to how many dollars are trading hands.

2. 30-Day SEC Yield

The standard yield you see reported for ETFs is what is known as a distribution yield. It is either based on the trailing 12 months of distributions or found by annualizing the most recent quarterly distribution from the fund. The 30-day SEC yield is a mandatory statistic for all bond funds that provide the yield to maturity of the bonds in the portfolio. It is a statistic that standardizes returns and provides as close to a forward-looking yield as possible. Don't get me wrong: Historical distribution yields are also important, but when you are getting ready to purchase a bond ETF, you should know what the implied yield going forward will be.

3. Percentage of Assets in Top 10 Holdings

We use this data point as a quick way to judge portfolio concentration. It doesn't really matter if an ETF has more than 200 holdings if the top 10 holdings account for more than 50% of the assets. Remember that portfolio concentration is neither a bad nor a good thing; it depends on the situation. Sometimes you will have a focused investment thesis and you will want a focused ETF. For example, SPDR Gold GLD has 100% of its assets in one holding: gold bullion. Other times, you will want diversification to spread out your risk or give you exposure across a wider array of the Morningstar Style Box.

For the remaining three stats, start a risk-free subscription to Morningstar ETFInvestor and check out the April 2010 issue. You'll also have access to critical data and performance information on the entire ETF universe, the holdings in our two model portfolios, and a 12-month issue archive. If you don't like what we have to offer, simply cancel within 30 days and pay absolutely nothing.

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ETF Trader Marketwatch Weekly Newsletter
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Free Video Newsletter EtfTradr is a part of the BigTrends.com Trading Network and is led by Andrew Hart. As the lead ETF Analyst Andrew noticed a missing link for traders, a dedicated site for active ETF Traders that provides real-time recommendations and quality education. He found that too many traders lacked focus and were using the same methodologies on ETFs as stocks which does not work, enter ETFTRADR. We offer 3 core products, two real-time recommendations services and our flagship DVD. ETFINVESTR: ETF Model Portfolio focused on buying ETFs based on a systematic process using weekly charts. ETFTRADR: Real-Time Option Recommendations for 30 Core ETFs focused on growth. ETF ELEMENTS: Learn the ETFTRADR System in our Flagship DVD Course - No Software Needed.

What Is an Exchange Traded Fund?

An exchange-traded fund or ETF is an investment vehicle traded on stock exchanges, much like stocks or bonds. An ETF holds assets such as stocks, bonds, or futures. Institutional investors can redeem large blocks of shares of the ETF (known as "creation units") for a "basket" of the underlying assets or, alternately, exchange the underlying assets for creation units. This creation and redemption of shares enables institutions to engage in arbitrage and causes the value of the ETF to approximate the net asset value of the underlying assets. Most ETFs track an index, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the S&P 500.

An ETF combines the valuation feature of a mutual fund or unit investment trust, which can be purchased or redeemed at the end of each trading day for its net asset value, with the tradability feature of a closed-end fund, which trades throughout the trading day at prices that may be substantially more or less than its net asset value. Closed-end funds are not considered to be exchange-traded funds, even though they are funds and are traded on an exchange. ETFs have been available in the US since 1993 and in Europe since 1999. ETFs traditionally have been index funds, but in 2008 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began to authorize the creation of actively-managed ETFs.

iShares ETFs - Exchange Traded Funds
iShares Funds, the world's largest family of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). iShares.com provides investment tools, data and resources for financial advisors and individual investors.

"ETF Profit Driver" Exchange Traded Funds Home Study Course
The ETF Profit Driver is our premium training course that reveals the quickest and most effective way to add exchange traded funds to your trading strategy. While gaining in popularity, ETFs have remained somewhat of an "underground" market. The good news is, though, that there's nothing mysterious about them; and when you learn the four separate trading techniques revealed in the ETF Profit Driver, you'll see how fast and easy it is to add ETFs to your portfolio. The ETF Profit Driver methods are taught over 7 CD-ROMs in detailed "screen capture" videos. You also get six different trading blueprints that you can keep by trading computer so you know what to do every time you place a trade. There's also a quick start guide, and a full-color reference manual that summarizes everything taught on the CD-ROMs.

"ETF Profit Driver" Exchange Traded Fund Home Study Course

The ETF Profit Driver Course Contains: 7 CD Study Modules, Trading Blueprints, and Reference Manual, all described below.

Module 1: Background, Overview, & Trading Examples. This module covers the ETF Profit Driver background and structure, what to expect, the basics of the methods that will be covered, and a whole lot more. It concludes with a lengthy review of some actual ETF charts to give you a feel for what it's like to trade the four methods taught in the course.

Module 2: Breakaway Method. This module covers all the trading rules and examples for the Breakaway Method, where the aim is to buy on breakouts to new highs from a consolidating market as a new trend emerges.

Module 3: Momentum Maximizer Method. This module covers all the trading rules and examples for the Momentum Maximizer Method, where the aim is to buy on weakness in an uptrend at a key moving average anticipating that the uptrend will continue.

Module 4: Trend Rebound Method. This module covers all the trading rules and examples for the Trend Rebound Method, where the aim is to buy on confirming strength in an uptrend after a bounce off a key moving average anticipating the the uptrend will continue.

Module 5: Trend Recovery Method. This module covers all the trading rules and examples for the Trend Recovery Method, where the aim is to buy on confirming strength in a recovering uptrend as the dominant trend resumes.

Module 6: Bring It All Together. This module covers the critical concepts of risk management, discipline and psychology. We also talk about position sizing and review several trading scenarios using all of the ETF Profit Driver methods.

Bonus Module: Trading & ETF Basics. If you're just getting started, or want a refresher, this bonus module covers the basics of ETF trading and technical trading that will be used throughout the program. If you're already experienced, you can probably skip this module. However, reinforcement is always a good thing, so I encourage everyone to watch this at least once.

Trading Blueprints: These blueprints summarize the trading rules for each of the four ETF Profit Driver methods. After you have a firm understanding of the methods, these blueprints make a great reference as part of your daily trading routine.

Reference Manual: The reference manual contains all of the content on Cd-ROM's, including full color charts, for all the examples covered in the course. This is not a substitute for the CD-ROM's, but makes for a handy reference after you have studied the core material.

Learn how to really profit from trading Exchange-Traded Funds and how to use them in your IRA, from the comfort of your own home.

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Our philosophy at Profits Run is that trading any market is a very personal decision. Your circumstances are unique, as are your financial and personal goals. That's why we offer a wide variety of training courses for you to choose from. There is no one "perfect" or "best" course, because every trader is different. So, we invite you to explore our training courses and try them out in the privacy of your own home, or "trading lab". That way, you can determine for yourself what the best course is for you. And, if you're like some of our students, you'll end up investing in all of our training courses. "The trading methods you use are sort of like the clubs you use playing golf," says company founder & President, Bill Poulos. "Certainly you could play 18 holes of golf with just a putter. You might even make some great shots, but overall, you'll have a hard time competing with someone who's playing with a full set of clubs. Likewise, in trading, the more trading methods and techniques you have available to attack the markets, the more profit potential you'll have a shot at capturing."

   
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