Tag Archives: etf

MLP ETFs Trading At A Huge Discount To NAV

The collapse in oil price has battered the energy sector as a whole, not sparing the master limited partnerships (MLPs) either. In fact, some MLP ETFs have fallen faster than the value of their underlying securities, creating a huge discount to their net asset value or NAV. This suggests an attractive entry point for long-term investors. This is especially true as the authorized participants (NYSE: AP ) of a discounted ETF steps in and redeems the underlying shares to remove the discount and restore the fund’s value back to its NAV. This process results in profits for the ETF holder when the market price rises relative to NAV (read: Is This the Worst Time For MLP ETF Investing? ). MLP: Is A Good Bet Right Now? Trading at deep discounts, the outlook for MLPs is bright amid the oil price rout. This is because most MLPs, which are engaged in the processing and transportation of energy commodities such as natural gas, crude oil, and refined products, are best positioned to withstand the decline in oil prices and be the major beneficiaries of an oil boom in the long term. Acting as toll-takers, these MLPs earn revenues on the volumes flowing through pipes and not on the commodity price. This nature of business will definitely give a boost to these stocks given that worldwide oil production is on the rise. Unlike exploration and production companies whose profits are directly correlated with commodity prices, MLPs have relatively consistent and predictable cash flows, making them safer and less risky than other plays in the broader energy space (read: Oil Hits 12-Year Low: Short Energy Stocks with ETFs ). Beyond the stability, yields are also pretty high thanks to some favorable tax rules – like we see in the REIT space – that push firms in the MLP space to pay out substantially all of their income to investors on a regular basis. Further, MLPs represent a great way of tapping the growing revolutionary developments in the field of unconventional energy. As a result, the steep decline in MLP stocks and ETFs provides an attractive investment opportunity to long-term investors, looking for growth and income. Below, we highlight some products that were trading at a steep discount to NAV as of January 15 (as per Fidelity ): UBS ETRACS Alerian MLP Infrastructure Index ETN (NYSEARCA: MLPI ) : Discount – 5.32% This product tracks the Alerian MLP Infrastructure Index, which comprises 25 mid-stream energy infrastructure MLPs. It has attracted $1.5 billion in AUM and trades in solid volume of 967,000 shares per day. The note charges 85 bps a year in fees and pays out a hefty yield of 8.04%. Credit Suisse Equal Weight MLP Index ETN (NYSEARCA: MLPN ) : Discount – 5.13% This ETN follows the 30 MLP Index, an equally weighted index that uses a formulaic, proprietary valuation methodology and comprises of 30 midstream MLPs. It has attracted $365.5 million in its assets base so far and sees good average daily volume of more than 325,000 shares. Expense ratio came in at 0.85%. The note pays out 7.53% in annual yield. UBS ETRACS Wells Fargo MLP Index ETN (NYSEARCA: MLPW ) : Discount – 4.69% This note tracks the Wells Fargo Master Limited Partnership Index, which provides exposure to all energy MLPs listed on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ with market cap of at least $200 million. It failed to garner enough investor interest with AUM of just $7 million and sees paltry volume of about 13,000 shares. MLPW charges 85 bps in annual fees and expenses, and pays a solid yield of 9.82%. UBS ETRACS Alerian MLP Index ETN (NYSEARCA: AMU ) : Discount – 4.68% This product tracks the performance of the Alerian MLP Index, which provides exposure to 50 publicly traded energy MLPs. It has amassed $351.4 million in its asset base and trades in solid volume of nearly 468,000 shares. It charges 80 bps in annual fees and sports a dividend yield of 7.16%. RBC Yorkville MLP ETN (NYSEARCA: YGRO ) : Discount – 4.57% This note seeks to offer return of the Yorkville MLP Distribution Growth Leaders Liquid Index, which offers access to 25 MLPs exhibiting the highest distribution growth and superior liquidity profiles. It is also unpopular with AUM of $14.5 million and average daily volume of around 15,000 shares. Expense ratio came in at 0.90% and dividend yield stands at 8.54%. MLP ETNs vs MLP ETFs Unfortunately, there are some tax headaches when using the MLP structure, namely the possible need of a K-1 form at tax time. But this issue can be avoided by looking at MLPs that use an exchange-traded structure. This is because ETNs do not actually hold the securities of an underlying index. Instead, an ETN is an unsubordinated debt security that promises to pay out a return that is equal to an index. This is completely unlike an ETF that buys and sells the securities making up a particular benchmark. Due to this advantage, investors can buy MLP ETNs without the hassle of K-1 at tax time, making the above-products excellent choices for those seeking high yield without the taxation headache. Link to the original post on Zacks.com

SilverPepper Posts Pair Of First-Place Finishes

Alternative mutual fund company SilverPepper prides itself on making “hedge fund strategies” available to “the rest of us.” The Lake Forest, Illinois-based firm has a number of investor-friendly videos at its website , and its marketing materials generally aim to entertain as well as inform. SilverPepper’s approach is working. The firm recently celebrated its second anniversary, and for the second straight year, two of its mutual funds had the honor of finishing first within their categories: the SilverPepper Merger Arbitrage Fund (MUTF: SPAIX ) was the top-performing merger-arbitrage mutual fund for the 12 months ending October 31, and the SilverPepper Commodity Strategies Global Macro Fund (MUTF: SPCIX ) finished first out of 157 funds in the “Commodities Broad Basket” Morningstar category. SPAIX also had a strong showing in comparison to funds in the broader Market Neutral category, finishing 11th out of 158 funds for the time period being considered. For the year ending December 31, 2015, the fund returned an impressive 8.49%, ranking in the top 3% of the broad category. SilverPepper president Patrick Reinkemeyer attributed the fund’s outperformance to “hedge fund expert” Steve Gerbel, who “controlled risk by avoiding failed mergers” and boosted returns by investing in smaller-cap companies “where regulatory hurdles tend to be less, yet merger spreads are typically wider.” SPCIX finished 1st out of 157 funds for the year ending Halloween 2015, but that doesn’t mean it actually generated positive returns for what was a tough 12 months for commodities. Nevertheless, it outperformed the category average by a whopping 14 percentage points, and over the next three months, its -0.80% return remained in the top 4% of the category. Mr. Reinkemeyer said fund manager Renee Haugerud “deserves credit” for “using her fingernails-in-the-dirt research to largely avoid some of the worst commodity sectors,” including oil, and “hedging its bets” as part of “an overt tactic to protect investors’ assets.” For more information, visit silverpepperfunds.com. Past performance does not necessarily predict future results. Jason Seagraves contributed to this article.

Go On The Offensive To Preserve And Build Wealth

By Carl Delfeld I’ll never forget the advice given to me by the CEO of UBS Wealth Management. “Carl, remember one thing. Before you go out and tell your clients all the ways you’re going to make them money, try your best not to lose any.” And it’s certainly great advice for all of us, as we move into 2016 amid a high degree of uncertainty. Preserving capital should always be the top priority. Unfortunately, the traditional defensive strategy recommended to achieve this goal – high-quality bonds and blue-chip U.S. stocks – is obsolete. Rising interest rates could crush many bond portfolios, and you only have to look back at the global financial crisis to see how many blue-chip stocks lost almost half of their value in the blink of an eye. Let me share with you two potential ways to protect wealth that you won’t hear about anywhere else. They’re also a low-risk method to build wealth. One: Don’t Become Too Cautious and Defensive First, as any coach or smart sports fan will tell you, the surest way to lose a game when you’re ahead is to become too cautious and defensive. Why? You tend to become tentative, miss opportunities, and lose the initiative that built your success in the first place. It’s far better to intelligently stay on offense, pushing ahead while trying not to take any undue risks. Above all, this is never the time to try the same old tired plays. Two: Stay Open-Minded and Flexible This brings me to the second way to protect wealth, the need to be open-minded and flexible. For the past four or five years, a portfolio of U.S. stocks has performed pretty well, with the flat 2015 being an exception. Part of this is due to the Fed pumping in massive amounts of liquidity, no competition from zero rate Treasuries, and to the strong U.S. dollar attracting capital and hurting international stock returns. It certainly appears to me that at least some of these trends are reversing. This means you need to adjust by taking off the blinders and searching for new opportunities. And to do this you need to fight “home bias.” Going on the Offensive Home bias is the tendency to invest too much in your home country, thereby neglecting overseas opportunities. It’s very comfortable to lean towards the home stock market, but it is contrary to a cardinal rule of investing – not putting all your eggs in one basket. It’s also at odds with common sense since no one country – even America – has a monopoly on growth, value, and progress. When you really think about it, this home bias is puzzling. Why should the world’s best companies with the best growth prospects just happen to be in America or wherever your home country happens to be? I say this even though I’m a huge believer in America’s future, if we pursue the right policies and reforms. This is why I authored a book outlining what needs to be done: Red, White & Bold: The New American Century. In short, where a company is based means less and less; and what it does, and how well it performs, means more and more. And this is especially true for emerging markets, as the value of their stock markets plays catch-up with their contribution to global economic growth and share of the global economy. Just take a glance at these two great charts by JP Morgan. U.S. stock markets still dominate, accounting for 46% of the value of all listed companies in the world, while Japan’s share has dropped sharply from its peak in 1989 at over 30% to just 8% today. The share going to emerging markets has grown sharply, but still sits at around 13%, even though emerging markets represent 83% of the world’s population and half of global growth and output. This big gap between the value of all emerging-market-publicly traded companies and their contribution to global growth and the world’s economy will narrow – and this is your opportunity to cash in. The key trend to watch is the direction of the U.S. dollar. If the greenback levels out or begins to pull back in early 2016, undervalued emerging markets will really take off. The strategy you use to take advantage of this mismatch is critical. Stick with high quality companies showing good growth and strong balance sheets. Diversify across many countries, while favoring those that respect private capital, rule of law, a free press, and open markets. Most importantly, always use a trailing stop-loss to minimize risk. It’s the best hedge to protect your portfolio from a weaker U.S. dollar, and it could really supercharge your returns in 2016. Original Post