It’s Been a Banner Year for ETFs (2024)

FAQs

Why is ETF not a good investment? ›

ETFs are subject to market fluctuation and the risks of their underlying investments. ETFs are subject to management fees and other expenses. Unlike mutual funds, ETF shares are bought and sold at market price, which may be higher or lower than their NAV, and are not individually redeemed from the fund.

You can hold ETFs as long as you want. Allow compound interest to work for you over time. However, you should avoid selling ETFs when the market is down since you can miss out on the potential to gain money when the market recovers.

Fluctuations in the prices of bond ETFs often stem from the inverse relationship between the bond market and interest rates. Bond prices and yields moving in the opposite direction may seem counterintuitive, but the equation is simple enough.

Indexed ETFs, tracking specific indexes like the S&P 500, are generally safe and tend to gain value over time. Leveraged ETFs can be used to amplify returns, but they can be riskier due to increased volatility.

The securities that underlie the funds are held by a custodian, not by Vanguard. 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.

Because the ETF is a separate legal entity from the issuer that manages it, the ETF will control all the assets in its portfolio up until the date set for its liquidation, at which point the manager will sell the assets and distribute the proceeds to investors.

For most standard, unleveraged ETFs that track an index, the maximum you can theoretically lose is the amount you invested, driving your investment value to zero. However, it's rare for broad-market ETFs to go to zero unless the entire market or sector it tracks collapses entirely.

What is better than ETF? ›

Mutual funds and ETFs may hold stocks, bonds, or commodities. Both can track indexes, but ETFs tend to be more cost-effective and liquid since they trade on exchanges like shares of stock. Mutual funds can offer active management and greater regulatory oversight at a higher cost and only allow transactions once daily.

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.

QQQ is more expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.2%, versus 0.03% for VOO. QQQ is up 12.27% year-to-date (YTD) with +$18.55B in YTD flows. VOO performs better with 13.58% YTD performance, and +$57.69B in YTD flows.

ETFs are designed to track the market, not to beat it

But many ETFs track a benchmarking index, which means the fund often won't outperform the underlying assets in the index. Investors who are looking to beat the market (potentially a riskier approach) may choose to look at other products and services.

Key takeaways. ETFs have some structural advantages relative to mutual funds but it's important to remember that ETFs have risks like all investments. Five of the key ETF risks to consider include: market risk, tracking error, liquidity, sector concentration, and single-stock concentration.

ETFs are generally better for frequent trading because you can buy and sell shares throughout the trading day. Index mutual funds only let you buy and sell at the very end of each trading day. ETFs also give you up-to-date information on the fund investment value throughout the trading day.

Yes, an inverse ETF can reach zero, particularly over long periods. Market volatility, compounding effects, and fund management concerns can exacerbate losses. To successfully manage possible risks, investors should be aware of the short-term nature of these securities and carefully monitor their holdings.