Exchange-traded funds (etfs)?
Mutual funds are pooled investment vehicles managed by a money management professional. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) represent baskets of securities that are traded on an exchange like stocks. ETFs can be bought or sold at any time. Mutual funds are only priced at the end of the day.
Mutual funds are pooled investment vehicles managed by a money management professional. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) represent baskets of securities that are traded on an exchange like stocks. ETFs can be bought or sold at any time. Mutual funds are only priced at the end of the day.
An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is a basket of securities that trades on an exchange just like a stock does. ETF share prices fluctuate all day as the ETF is bought and sold; this is different from mutual funds, which only trade once a day after the market closes.
Key Takeaways. ETFs are considered to be low-risk investments because they are low-cost and hold a basket of stocks or other securities, increasing diversification. For most individual investors, ETFs represent an ideal type of asset with which to build a diversified portfolio.
Key differences between stocks and ETFs
Stocks represent a piece of ownership in a publicly traded company. ETFs are a bundle of assets and securities such as different stocks and bonds.
ETFs typically have lower expense ratios compared to mutual funds because they're more passively managed. They disclose their holdings daily, allowing investors to see the underlying assets and make informed investment decisions.
In the simple terms, ETFs are funds that track indexes such as CNX Nifty or BSE Sensex, etc. When you buy shares/units of an ETF, you are buying shares/units of a portfolio that tracks the yield and return of its native index.
“And they are incredibly cheap.” However, there are disadvantages of ETFs. They come with fees, can stray from the value of their underlying asset, and (like any investment) come with risks.
ETFs or "exchange-traded funds" are exactly as the name implies: funds that trade on exchanges, generally tracking a specific index. When you invest in an ETF, you get a bundle of assets you can buy and sell during market hours—potentially lowering your risk and exposure, while helping to diversify your portfolio.
ETFs can offer lower operating costs than traditional open-end funds, flexible trading, greater transparency, and better tax efficiency in taxable accounts. There are drawbacks, however, including trading costs and learning complexities of the product.
Is an ETF safer than a stock?
Because of their wide array of holdings, ETFs provide the benefits of diversification, including lower risk and less volatility, which often makes a fund safer to own than an individual stock. An ETF's return depends on what it's invested in.
ETFs may close due to lack of investor interest, or poor returns on their investment. For investors, the easiest way to exit an ETF investment is to sell them on the open market. Liquidation of ETFs is strictly regulated.
| ETF | Expense ratio |
|---|---|
| SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) | 0.35% |
| ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) | 0.95% |
| Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH) | 0.04% |
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) | 0.03% |
You expose your portfolio to much higher risk with sector ETFs, so you should use them sparingly, but investing 5% to 10% of your total portfolio assets may be appropriate. If you want to be highly conservative, don't use these at all.
One of the ways that investors make money from exchange traded funds (ETFs) is through dividends that are paid to the ETF issuer and then paid on to their investors in proportion to the number of shares each holds.
Tax Strategies Using ETFs
One common strategy is to close out positions that have losses before their one-year anniversary. You then keep positions that have gains for more than one year. This way, your gains receive long-term capital gains treatment, lowering your tax liability.
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk.
The choice comes down to what you value most. If you prefer the flexibility of trading intraday and favor lower expense ratios in most instances, go with ETFs. If you worry about the impact of commissions and spreads, go with mutual funds.
- Interest distributions if the ETF invests in bonds.
- Dividend. + read full definition distributions if the ETF invests in stocks that pay dividends.
- Capital gains distributions if the ETF sells an investment. + read full definition for more than it paid.
In order to withdraw from an exchange traded fund, you need to give your online broker or ETF platform an instruction to sell.
Which ETF has the highest return?
| Symbol | Name | 5-Year Return |
|---|---|---|
| IYW | iShares U.S. Technology ETF | 26.06% |
| FTEC | Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF | 25.10% |
| VGT | Vanguard Information Technology ETF | 24.93% |
| SPXL | Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X Shares | 24.36% |
From the perspective of the IRS, the tax treatment of ETFs and mutual funds are the same. Both are subject to capital gains tax and taxation of dividend income.
Vanguard is paid by the funds to provide administration and other services. If Vanguard ever did go bankrupt, the funds would not be affected and would simply hire another firm to provide these services.
The biggest hassle of an ETF closure is it upends your investment timeline, and there's nothing you can do about it. You're forced to sell or take liquidation proceeds, which can create a tax burden or lock in investment losses.
ETFs are most often linked to a benchmarking index, meaning that they are often not designed to outperform that index. Investors looking for this type of outperformance (which also, of course, carries added risks) should perhaps look to other opportunities.
