Among the numerous investment products available on the market, ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) are a popular choice for many investors. ETFs provide access to a wide range of markets, including global stocks, bonds, currencies, and commodities-related investments, of which the supply and demand encompass the broad scope of the macroeconomy. This article will not only provide the key strategies of ETF investment but also introduce the world’s first dedicated ETF section that integrates macroeconomic charts.
I. The Five Major Types of ETFs
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Equity ETFs: These ETFs are usually categorized by country, region (such as North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific), or market development stage (such as developed or emerging markets). Industry-specific ETFs, like technology or financial ETFs, are also prevalent. Another major category of equity ETFs is factor-based ETFs, which focus on specific factors such as equity size (large-cap or small-cap). In recent years, thematic ETFs centering on specific technologies or trends (such as electric vehicles and AI) have gained popularity, with issuers introducing many ETFs of this kind.
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Bond ETFs: These ETFs offer exposure to a wide variety of bonds available on the market, including U.S. Treasuries, investment grade corporate bonds, and high-yield bonds, as well as non-U.S. international bonds such as global sovereign bonds, international corporate bonds, and emerging market bonds. Additionally, some ETFs, such as AGG and BND, focus on the "total bond market." Besides bond type and investment region, bond duration (the remaining time until maturity) is also a common way to categorize these ETFs. Typically, bonds maturing in less than one year are termed "ultra-short," those maturing in 1-3 years are "short-term," 3-10 years are "intermediate-term," and those with more than 10 years to maturity are considered "long-term."
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Commodity ETFs: These ETFs invest in energy commodities such as crude oil, precious metals like gold and silver, industrial metals including copper, aluminum, and nickel, and agricultural products such as wheat, corn, and soybeans. Additionally, there are commodity ETFs that cover multiple commodity sectors available on the market.
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Currency ETFs: These ETFs track a single currency, such as USD, EUR, or JPY, or a basket of currencies encompassing both developed and emerging markets.
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Alternatives ETFs: This category is more complex and includes subtypes such as volatility (VIX), convertible bonds, preferred stocks, and hedge fund ETFs.
II. ETF Screener
Once you understand the different types of ETFs, you can start exploring the investment categories that interest you. MM’s ETF Screener allows you to select ETFs that meet your investment criteria:
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We categorize ETFs by asset class into Equity, Fixed Income, Commodities, Currency, Volatility, and Alternatives.
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You can also filter by “Leveraged/Inverse” and “Release Info,” such as issuer, benchmark, and index replication method.
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In addition to basic information, you can set ranges for data points like “Last Close,” “AUM,” “Trading Volume,” “Premium/Discount,” “Return,” and “Net Fund Flow.” Combined with “Risk Measurements” such as annualized standard deviation and Sharpe ratio, these filters help you further refine your ETF selection.
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Finally, you can also filter directly by ETF names or tickers. For instance, you can enter "semiconductor" to quickly find related ETFs that include "semiconductor" in their names.
III. ETF Comparator
Once you have identified the investment categories that interest you, the next question is how to choose the most suitable products among the many options available. You can conduct a thorough analysis and comparison using key ETF data.
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