Can ETFs be closed-end or open ended funds?
ETFs are open-ended funds, meaning they can constantly take on new investors and as they do, the fund's assets grow.
ETFs are also offered by open-end management companies, and as characteristics of such funds, do not have a specified number of shares offered in the market. Therefore, the open-end management company can issue and redeem shares at its discretion.
ETFs may close due to lack of investor interest or poor returns. For investors, the easiest way to exit an ETF investment is to sell it on the open market. Liquidation of ETFs is strictly regulated; when an ETF closes, any remaining shareholders will receive a payout based on what they had invested in the ETF.
| Name Of The Scheme | Returns | |
|---|---|---|
| Motilal Oswal NASDAQ 100 Exchange Traded Fund | 4.33 | 18.23 |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life Banking & Financial Services Fund | -10.15 | 8.56 |
| Mirae Asset Emerging Bluechip Fund | -0.50 | 12.07 |
| ICICI Prudential Banking & Financial Services Fund | -2.12 | 11.54 |
A closed-end fund is a type of mutual fund that issues a fixed number of shares through one initial public offering (IPO) to raise capital for its initial investments. Its shares can then be bought and sold on a stock exchange, but no new shares will be created, and no new money will flow into the fund.
ETFs and closed-end funds are similar in that they both trade intraday on an exchange. However, while many ETFs track the performance of an index of securities, closed-end funds are actively managed.
Mutual funds are priced once a day at the net asset value and they're traded after market hours. ETFs are traded throughout the day on stock exchanges just as individual stocks are. ETFs often have lower expense ratios and are generally more tax-efficient due to their more passive nature.
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.
Buying high and selling low
At any given time, the spread on an ETF may be high, and the market price of shares may not correspond to the intraday value of the underlying securities. Those are not good times to transact business.
In theory, if Vanguard went bankrupt, your assets within the ETF should be safe, as they're technically yours held in trust by Vanguard. So if Vanguard collapsed, then what would likely happen would be that another manager would take over the ETF, or the assets would be sold off and you'd be paid out.
How do you tell if a fund is open or closed ended?
While open ended funds can be bought or sold anytime, the closed ended funds can be bought only during their launch and can be redeemed when the fund investment tenure is over.
An open-end fund is always open to new investors, so it continuously offers new shares for sale (and accepts new capital) according to investor demand. A closed-end fund, on the other hand, issues a fixed number of shares and raises all its capital at an IPO.
Open-ended funds offer flexibility of investing through lump-sum investments and Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs). Investors can make multiple purchases in the fund at their discretion. Closed-ended funds permit investment solely during the NFO period and do not accept investments through SIPs.
Because closed-end funds are often actively managed by an investment manager who is trying to beat the market, they may charge higher fees, making them less attractive to investors. Closed-end funds frequently use leverage — borrowing money to fund their asset purchases — to increase returns.
Investing in closed-end funds involves risk; principal loss is possible. There is no guarantee a fund's investment objective will be achieved.
Most REIT closed-end funds are trading at a discount that's smaller than their historical discount. This will work as a headwind for their expected future performance. Most REIT closed-end funds do indeed outperform in rising markets thanks to their leverage.
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.
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk.
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. An ETF's return is the weighted average of all its holdings.
Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) are hybrids of open-end and closed-end mutual funds. Exchange-Traded Funds are open-end mutual funds that have no limit to the number of shares. The mutual fund company issues new shares as needed. However, they trade on the stock exchanges like closed-end mutual funds.
Why choose an ETF over a mutual fund?
ETFs and index mutual funds tend to be generally more tax efficient than actively managed funds. And, in general, ETFs tend to be more tax efficient than index mutual funds. You want niche exposure. Specific ETFs focused on particular industries or commodities can give you exposure to market niches.
Passive retail investors often choose index funds for their simplicity and low cost. Typically, the choice between ETFs and index mutual funds comes down to management fees, shareholder transaction costs, taxation, and other qualitative differences.
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.
It is unlikely for its asset to go up 100% in a single day and so, an ETF can't become zero. An ETF follows a particular index and the securities are present at the same weight in it. So, it can be zero when all the securities go to zero.
| Fund (ticker) | YTD performance | Expense ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) | 8.6 percent | 0.10 percent |
| Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) | 12.4 percent | 0.09 percent |
| Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) | 13.5 percent | 0.09 percent |
| Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) | 10.8 percent | 0.09 percent |
