Is 2021 going to be the year to invest in ASX ETFs like the ETF Securities FANG+ ETF (ASX: FANG) and BetaShares British Pound ETF (ASX: POU)?
How an Aussie (or Kiwi!) investor can use the FANG ETF
The ETFS FANG ETF provides investors with exposure to the performance of the 10 most highly-traded next generation technology and tech-enabled companies listed on US stock markets. FANG adopts an equal weight strategy, meaning that it weights the shares within the portfolio equally – this differs from the more commonly used method of weighting by market capitalisation.
According to our most recent data, the FANG ETF had $227.12 million of money invested. With FANG’s total funds under management (FUM) figure over $100 million, the ETF meets our team’s minimum investment criteria for FUM levels. As a general rule, our team draws the line at $100 million for ETFs in the International shares sector because we believe that, relative to smaller ETFs, achieving this amount of FUM lowers the chance that the ETF issuer will close the ETF.
Fees to consider
According to our numbers, the annual management fee on the FANG ETF is 0.35%. The issuer, ETF Securities, collects this fee automatically.
Meaning, if you invested $2,000 in the FANG ETF for a full year you could expect to pay management fees of around $7.00. This fee is different from the fee you pay to your brokerage provider (e.g. CommSec, NabTrade, SelfWealth, etc.), which is the fee to buy or sell the ETF. In addition to a management fee charged by the issuer, be mindful to check the ‘spread‘ for the ETF.
A fee comparison
Fees aren’t the only key consideration for ETF investors, but it’s an easy thing to do. To understand if the ETF you’re looking at is too costly, compare it with other ETFs from the same sector, and against the industry average. For example, the average management fee (MER) across all of the ETFs covered by the Best ETFs Australia team was 0.51%, which is $10.20 per $2,000 invested. Keep in mind that small changes in the fees paid can make a big difference after 10 or 20 years. You should read the FANG Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), available on the ETF issuer’s website, because it will detail the fees, tax implications and the latest information.
You can get a copy of our free investment review when click here to see the FANG ETF report.
Key facts about the POU ETF
The BetaShares POU ETF provides investors with exposure to the performance of the British pound relative to the Australian dollar.
With our numbers for July 2021, POU’s FUM stood at $13.67 million. Given it has less than $100 million invested, ask yourself (or your adviser) if the ETF is still too small (and if you should wait to buy into it). If you’re concerned the ETF might not be established enough, compare it alongside one of the other Index sector ETFs, using our full list of ETFs.
Are the fees for the POU ETF bad?
BetaShares, the ETF issuer, charges a yearly management fee of 0.45% for the POU ETF. Meaning, if you invested $2,000 for a full 12-month period you could expect to pay a base management fee of around $9.00.
The management fee is above the average for all ETFs on our list of ASX ETFs, but keep in mind the ETF may be able to justify the higher price tag with superior performance over time.
Get the full POU review available on our website by clicking this link to access our report.
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