Panskeptic

Claymore Specialty ETFs: Portfolio Builders or Punts?

"However, what would be your argument for holding, for example, a gastrointestinal/genit... health index ETF, a private equity index ETF, a steel index ETF or a patent index ETF in your portfolio?"

Oh, I think if you had a major gastrointestinal illness, it might be nice to get paid back by the companies that are gouging you (same with the diabetic ETF). And it's early days yet, but the patent index could be a good way of profiting by ideas, not by things - analogous to choosing software stocks over hardware. I grant that the other two are a little more rancid.

A Close Look at the Claymore/Zacks Yield Hog ETF

I have no problem with the smell of <b>active management</b>. Considering these treacherous waters, I'm quite comfortable having someone steer. Passive indexing can be risky, too. But if that's your preference, I'm sure we'll get individual ETFs for preferreds and MLPs before too long.