1. Find out what the SNAS ETF invests in
The Global X Ultra Short Nasdaq 100 Hedge Fund (ASX: SNAS) is an ETF designed for trading, since it provides a negative (or ‘inverse’ or ‘opposite’) exposure to the popular Nasdaq-100 index.
The SNAS ETF could be used by investors who are seeking to add short exposure to their portfolio and are willing to accept the higher risks associated with that. There are particular risks associated with geared ETFs that your financial adviser can (and should) explain to you before investing.
2. Has the ETF reached scale?
The Global X SNAS ETF had $34.24 million of money invested when we last pulled the monthly numbers. With a funds under management (FUM) or ‘market cap’ figure of less than $100 million, it’s important to consider if this ETF is still too small.
We say an ETF with more than $100 million invested is typically more sustainable than one with less than $100 million (at least). This is because if an ETF is too small, it may not be sustainable for an ETF issuer/provider, such as Global X, to continue to operate it.
That said, there are exceptions to this rule of thumb, especially if the ETF issuer is committed to growing the ETF’s FUM to the point where it becomes profitable.
3. Watch the fees (and other costs)
Global X charges investors a yearly management fee of 1.00% for the SNAS ETF. This means that if you invested $2,000 in SNAS for a full year, you could expect to pay management fees of around $20.00.
For context, the average management fee (MER) of all ETFs covered by Best ETFs Australia on our complete list of ASX ETFs is 0.51% or around $10.20 per $2,000 invested. Keep in mind, small changes in fees can make a big difference after 10 or 20 years.
Where to from here in 2020?
So there you have it, three tips to weigh up the SNAS ETF. Before you go any further, take a look at our Global X SNAS report – it’s free. Then, to make sure you’ve covered all bases, don’t forget to search our complete list of ASX ETFs to compare your options. You can filter the search results according to sector, issuer, size and more.
