February 6, 2012

LEVERAGED EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS OR ETF’s RESTRICTED BY BROKER-DEALERS

On July 24, 2009, it was reported that LPL Investment Holdings Inc. of Boston and Ameriprise Financial Inc. (AMP) of Minneapolis were following in the footsteps of Edward Jones & Co. by placing restrictions or entirely prohibiting the sale of leveraged exchange-traded funds or ETFs. ETFs trade daily on exchanges. Leveraged versions of ETF’s somtimes called “ultra” use futures or derivatives to multiply the daily returns of an index. The ETFs include short funds which can be used to bet against the market. The funds use derivatives to increase market exposure.

One commentator has raised particular concerns that retail investors may not understand how leveraged ETFs work, particularly short ETFs.