Are stocks more risky than ETFs?
Key differences between stocks and ETFs
Stock-picking offers an advantage over exchange-traded funds (ETFs) when there is a wide dispersion of returns from the mean. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer advantages over stocks when the return from stocks in the sector has a narrow dispersion around the mean.
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.
“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. So it's important for any investor to understand the downside of ETFs.
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk. Like a mutual fund or a closed-end fund, ETFs are only an investment vehicle—a wrapper for their underlying investment. So if you buy an S&P 500 ETF and the S&P 500 goes down 50%, nothing about how cheap, tax efficient, or transparent an ETF is will help you.
Both stocks and ETFs provide investors with dividends, and each is traded during the day on stock exchanges. Individual stocks are much riskier but can yield higher returns. ETFs are relatively low risk and provide stable, if less profitable, returns.
If the market falls, a passively managed ETF will generally follow it down. You can find actively managed ETFs, in which fund managers actively buy and sell securities in the hope of beating an index benchmark (though most aren't able to do so consistently). But such funds aren't as common.
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.
Leveraged and inverse ETFs—which use derivatives and/or futures contracts in an attempt to provide either a positive or a negative multiple of an index's performance—are most prone to closure. In fact, 47% of all such funds have closed down, compared with a closure rate of 28% for nonleveraged, noninverse ETFs.
Leveraged ETF prices tend to decay over time, and triple leverage will tend to decay at a faster rate than 2x leverage. As a result, they can tend toward zero.
What happens to my ETF if Vanguard fails?
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.
| Symbol | Name | 5-Year Return |
|---|---|---|
| GBTC | Grayscale Bitcoin Trust | 66.70% |
| USD | ProShares Ultra Semiconductors | 55.40% |
| FNGU | MicroSectors FANG+™ Index 3X Leveraged ETN | 52.61% |
| FNGO | MicroSectors FANG+ Index 2X Leveraged ETNs | 49.12% |
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are ideal for beginning investors due to their many benefits, which include low expense ratios, instant diversification, and a multitude of investment choices. Unlike some mutual funds, they also tend to have low investing thresholds, so you don't have to be ultra-rich to get started.
The largest Aggressive ETF is the iShares Core Aggressive Allocation ETF AOA with $1.82B in assets. In the last trailing year, the best-performing Aggressive ETF was AOA at 17.81%. The most recent ETF launched in the Aggressive space was the iShares ESG Aware Aggressive Allocation ETF EAOA on 06/12/20.
Too much diversification can dilute performance
Adding new ETFs to a portfolio that includes this Energy ETF would decrease its performance. Since the allocation to the Energy ETF will naturally decrease - and so will its contribution to the total portfolio return.
For context, a $6,000 investment that enjoys a 10% annual return over 40 years will grow into almost $272,000. So if you're happy with a portfolio that performs comparably to the stock market as a whole, then sticking to S&P 500 ETFs alone isn't a bad idea.
| Exchange-traded fund (ticker) | Assets under management | Yield |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard 500 Index ETF (VOO) | $406.2 billion | 1.4% |
| Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) | $75.6 billion | 1.9% |
| Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF (VFQY) | $298.0 million | 1.4% |
| SPDR Gold MiniShares (GLDM) | $6.1 billion | 0.0% |
| Fund (ticker) | YTD performance | 5-year performance |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) | 6.0 percent | 22.7 percent |
| Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) | 7.3 percent | 11.0 percent |
| Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) | 2.2 percent | 11.1 percent |
| Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) | 5.8 percent | 11.6 percent |
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.
In other words, you could potentially be liable for more than you invested because you bought the position on leverage. But can a leveraged ETF go negative? No.
What ETF consistently beat the S&P 500?
MarketWatch spotlights VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT), consistently outperforming the S&P 500 by targeting companies with long-term competitive advantages or “economic moats.”
There is a lesser chance of ETF share prices being higher or lower than those of underlying shares. ETFs trade throughout the day at a price close to the price of the underlying securities, so if the price is significantly higher or lower than the net asset value, arbitrage will bring the price back in line.
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. Receiving an ETF payout can be a taxable event.
ETFs. Investment funds are a strategic option during a recession because they have built-in diversification, minimizing volatility compared to individual stocks. However, the fees can get expensive for certain types of actively managed funds.
Disadvantages of ETF Trading
As ETFs are traded like stocks, investors can pay 8 USD to 30 USD each time they buy or sell fund shares. These costs can compound and impair your ETF performance if an investor buys modest amounts of shares frequently.
