Mar 22, 2016
Food & WaterThe ETF Perspective
Matt HouganEditor
Index Universe.com and ETFR
What’s an ETF?
An ETF is a mutual fund which trades on an exchange, just like a stock.
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ETF Anatomy: Mutual Funds
Regulated by the SEC under the 1940 Act.
Holds a pool of assets: stocks, bonds, futures, even gold.
Built on sound corporate governance principles
Board of Directors
Compensated management
Highly detailed recordkeeping and audit requirements
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ETF Anatomy: Mutual Funds and Net Asset ValueMutual funds work by taking the whole pie, and slicing it into equal shares.
Each share has the same Net Asset Value (NAV).
Traditional mutual funds allow investors to create or redeem shares after the market closes each day.
Every dollar in gets invested, every dollar out is funded by asset sales.
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ETF Anatomy: The Twist
ETFs track and hold a known and fully disclosed basket of stocks, usually an index.
ETF shares trade directly on a stock exchange.
Just like stocks, investors experience commissions and bid/ask spreads.
Just like mutual funds, fund sponsors get paid a management fee.
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ETF Anatomy: Creation/Redemption
New ETF shares are only created by large, institutional investors called Authorized Participants, or APs.
New ETF shares are typically made in‐kind, with the AP delivering baskets of stocks.
ETF shares are only redeemed for the whole basket of stocks.
No Cash. No Transaction Costs.Lower Taxes. 7
ETF Anatomy: Creation/Redemption
Fund SponsorFund Sponsor
AuthorizedParticipantAuthorizedParticipantBrokerBrokerInvestorInvestor
$
ETF Shares
$
ETF Shares
Security Basket
ETF Share Block (10k, 50k, 100k)
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ETF Benefits
Can be very low cost.
Complete transparency
Generally tax efficient
Easily accessible
Highly granular
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WATER ETFS:AS WATER GAINS VALUE
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A Small Pool: Water ETFs
12/31/0811
Water ETFs: Big Variations
12/31/0812
Water ETFs: Big Variations
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Water ETFs: The Dollar
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Water ETFs: The Dollar
12/31/0815
Water ETFs: The Dollar
The international/domestic decision is driving short term returns … perhaps even more than water/not‐water.
The long term thesis of water investing suggests this could be a shorter term issue.
The short term likelihood of a strong dollar? Who knows…
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Water ETFs: Big Variations
12/31/0817
Water ETFs: PowerShares
Palisades Indexes
Universe divided into sub‐sectors with chosen allocations (e.g. 25% Resources, 30% Utilities)
Equal weights inside each sector – but, this can lead to some odd “equal” weights:
6.7% in Tetra Tech
1.3% in Aqua America
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Water ETFs: Claymore
S&P Global Water Index
Universe and weightings divided into two buckets with 25 stocks each
Equipment & Materials
Utilities & Resources
Traditional cap‐weighting then leads to big concentrations
25% in top 3 names
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Water ETFs: Choosing The Right Fund?
First choose U.S. vs. international.
Then choose concentrated vs. diverse.
But don’t just choose “a” water fund.
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FOOD ETFS: PIGS AND CORN?OR
PICKS AND SHOVELS?21
Food: The Big Question
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Picks And Shovels: Leveraging Innovation
12/31/08 23
Other Equity Advantages
Better Tax Treatment (In Some Cases)
Simplicity
(Easier to understand, easier to explain)
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Tapping Ags: 2 Approaches
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Food: The Big Question
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Equity Downside
Corporate Risk
Higher Long‐Term Correlations To Equities
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Considering Futures
Low Correlation to Equities
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Considering Futures
Low Correlation to Equities
Direct Food Price Exposure
Income: Collateral Yield
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Futures Downside
Contango
Tax Treatment
Zero Innovation(It’s just stuff)
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Contango??
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Roll Yield??
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Taming Contango
Optimized Roll Yield
“Continuous Commodity”
Straight Index
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Taming Contango
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Ag‐Future ETFs and ETNs
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A Note on Notes
A Promise to Pay
Pros: No Tracking Error
Better tax treatment
Con: It’s debt
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Futures: Tough For Ags
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Futures: Pockets of Strength
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