While the US Federal Reserve is expected to remain patient while inflation remains benign, many investors believe the central bank is likely to start raising interest rates later this year. When the Federal Open Market Committee meets in mid-June, most investors would search for hints of an imminent rate hike in America in nearly a decade. In anticipation, many market …
New ETFs On The Block: Powershares Variable Rate Preferred Portfolio ETF (VRP)
PowerShares, the exchange-traded fund unit of Invesco and the fourth-largest sponsor of ETFs in the US, launched the PowerShares Variable Rate Preferred Portfolio ETF (VRP) on May 1. The fund is US’s first variable rate preferred stock ETF product. Preferred stocks have been the toast of institutional investors due to their potential for price appreciation and impressive dividend yields. Yet …
New ETFs On The Block: Wisdomtree’s Bloomberg Floating Rate Treasury Fund (USFR)
WisdomTree, the New York-based fifth largest provider of exchange-traded funds in the US, unveiled the WisdomTree Bloomberg Floating Rate Treasury Fund (USFR) recently to tap into the growing demand for floating rate debt. As historically low interest rates start to normalize, bond prices – particularly the longer duration debt will start to slide, and thus the demand for shorter duration …
New ETFs On The Block: Pyxis/Iboxx Senior Loan ETF (SNLN)
Pyxis, the Dallas-based money manager that spun off from Highland Funds Asset Management at the beginning of the year, is making its first foray into the ETF space with its Pyxis/iBoxx Senior Loan ETF (SNLN). Highland already has a lineup of 20 open-ended mutual funds and traditional closed-end funds while Pyxis aims to serve up access to senior loans …