You can use inverse ETFs and inverse ETNs to inversely track an underlying index or group of investments you believe will drop in value, or you can use it to hedge against downside risk in similar investments you own (in a long position).
What Are the Risks?
These products are most often only for very short-term investments. They may present significant risks to less experienced investors. In January 2019, the Vanguard Group said it would no longer accept new investments in leveraged or inverse ETFs and ETNs. E-Trade’s website warns: The longer you hold a leveraged or inverse ETF, the greater your potential loss.
Wy Do Inverse ETPs Have Higher Expenses?
The values of inverse ETFs and inverse ETNs are typically recalculated each day. This is also true of the financial instruments that make them up. The complicated rebalancing is one reason these inverse ETPs may not accurately reflect the intended opposite performance of their benchmark beyond that particular day. In addition, inverse ETPs usually have higher expense ratios than those of other ETPs. That’s because of the frequent buying and selling of their underlying derivatives.
How Do Inverse ETFs and ETNs Work?
Inverse ETFs use derivatives to mimic the opposite performance of their underlying benchmark. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their value from other instruments. These derivatives often include various types of futures contracts. These are agreements to buy or sell a particular asset at a set price on an agreed-upon date. As a result, ETF share prices most often correlate to the net asset value of their holdings. Inverse ETNs are unsecured debt securities similar to bonds. They provide the opposite performance of an underlying index of securities, commodities, or currencies. At maturity, they will pay the opposite of the return of the benchmark they track. You can also make money from them—and inverse ETFs—by selling them for more than your purchase price. Inverse ETN market prices are determined in part by the performance of the underlying index. They are also affected by the perceived creditworthiness of their issuer.
How Do Leveraged Inverse ETFs and ETNs Work?
Inverse ETFs and inverse ETNs may also be leveraged. If they are, they aim to offer a return two to three times the inverse return of their underlying benchmark before fees. Leveraged ETPs offer multiples of the returns or the reverse of the returns of their benchmark. They also may produce losses that are two to three times those of a non-leveraged ETP. With that in mind, you can see how it’s possible to quickly lose the entire value of your investment.
Inverse ETFs
There are many inverse ETFs to consider. Here are several that you can add to your portfolio if you feel they’re right for your investment strategy:
DDG: ProShares Short Oil & Gas ETF DOG: ProShares Short Dow30 ETF EFZ: ProShares Short MSCI EAFE ETF EUM: ProShares Short MSCI Emerging Markets ETF MYY: ProShares Short MidCap400 ETF PSQ: ProShares Short QQQ ETF REK: ProShares Short Real Estate ETF RWM: ProShares Short Russell2000 ETF SBB: ProShares Short SmallCap600 ETF SBM: ProShares Short Basic Materials ETF SEF: ProShares Short Financials ETF SH: ProShares Short S&P500 ETF SJB: ProShares Short High Yield ETF TBF: ProShares Short 20+ Year Treasury ETF TBX: ProShares Short 7-10 Year Treasury ETF TYBS: Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bear 1X Shares ETF UDN: Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bearish Fund ETF YXI: ProShares Short FTSE China 50 ETF
Leveraged Inverse ETFs
Here are several -2x and -3x leveraged inverse ETFs. These products come with lots of risk and may not be right for every investor:
BIS: ProShares UltraShort Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (-2x) CROC: ProShares UltraShort Australian Dollar ETF (-2x) DRIP: Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Prod. Bull and Bear 2X Shares ETF (-2x) DUG: ProShares UltraShort Oil & Gas ETF (-2x) DUST: Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bull and Bear 2X Shares ETF (-2x) DXD: ProShares UltraShort Dow30 ETF (-2x) EDZ: Direxion Daily MSCI Emerging Markets Bull and Bear 3X Shares (-3x) EEV: ProShares UltraShort MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (-2x) EFU: ProShares UltraShort MSCI EAFE ETF (-2x) ERY: Direxion Daily Energy Bull and Bear 2X Shares ETF (-2x) EUO: ProShares UltraShort Euro ETF (-2x) EWV: ProShares UltraShort MSCI Japan TEF (-2x) FAZ: Direxion Daily Financial Bull and Bear 3X Shares ETF (-3x) FXP: ProShares UltraShort FTSE China 50 ETF (-2x) GLL: ProShares UltraShort Gold ETF (-2x) KOLD: ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Natural Gas ETF (-2x) LABD: Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull and Bear 3X Shares ETF (-3x) MZZ: ProShares UltraShort MidCap400 ETF (-2x) PST: ProShares UltraShort 7-10 Year Treasury ETF (-2x) QID: ProShares UltraShort QQQ ETF (-2x) REW: ProShares UltraShort Technology ETF (-2x) RXD: ProShares UltraShort Health Care ETF (-2x) SCC: ProShares UltraShort Consumer Services ETF (-2x) SCO: ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Crude Oil ETF (-2x) SDD: ProShares UltraShort SmallCap600 ETF (-2x) SDOW: ProShares UltraPro Short Dow30 ETF (-3x) SDP: ProShares UltraShort Utilities ETF (-2x) SDS: ProShares UltraShort S&P500 ETF (-2x) SIJ: ProShares UltraShort Industrials ETF (-2x) SZK: ProShares UltraShort Consumer Goods ETF (-2x) SRS: ProShares UltraShort Real Estate ETF (-2x) SRTY: ProShares UltraPro Short Russell2000 ETF (-3x) SSG: ProShares UltraShort Semiconductors ETF (-2x) SMDD: ProShares UltraPro Short MidCap400 ETF (-3x) SMN: ProShares UltraShort Basic Materials ETF (-2x) SOXS: Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull and Bear 3X Shares ETF (-3x) SPXS: Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull and Bear 3X Shares ETF (-3x) SPXU: ProShares UltraPro Short S&P500 ETF (-3x) SQQQ: ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ ETF (-3x) TBT: ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury ETF (-2x) TYO: Direxion Daily 7-10 Year Treasury Bull and Bear 3X Shares ETF (-3x) TZA: Direxion Daily Small Cap Bull and Bear 3X Shares ETF (-3x) TMV: Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bull and Bear 3X Shares ETF (-3x) TTT: ProShares UltraPro Short 20+ Year Treasury ETF (-3x) TWM: ProShares UltraShort Russell2000 ETF (-2x) YCS: ProShares UltraShort Yen ETF (-2x) ZSL: ProShares UltraShort Silver ETF (-2x)
Inverse ETNs
Below are several inverse ETNs to consider if you feel they’d be a good addition to your portfolio:
BTYS: iPath Series B US Treasury 10-Year Bear ETN DFVS: iPath US Treasury 5-Year Bear ETN DLBR: VelocityShares Short LIBOR ETN DLBS: iPath US Treasury Long Bond Bear ETN DTUS: iPath US Treasury 2-Year Bear ETN FLAT: iPath US Treasury Flattener ETN GNAF: MicroSectors FANG+ Index Inverse ETN KNAB: MicroSectors U.S. Big Banks Index Inverse ETN TAPR: Barclays Inverse U.S. Treasury Composite ETN XXVFF: iPath Inverse S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN YGRN: MicroSectors U.S. Big Oil Index Inverse ETN
Leveraged Inverse ETNs
Here are several -2x, and -3x leveraged inverse ETNs. These products come with lots of risk and may not be right for every investor:
BNKD: MicroSectors U.S. Big Banks Index -3X Inverse Leveraged ETN BNKZ: MicroSectors U.S. Big Banks Index -2X Inverse Leveraged ETN FNGD: MicroSectors FANG+ Index -3X Inverse Leveraged ETN FNGZ: MicroSectors FANG+ Index -2X Inverse Leveraged ETN NRGD: MicroSectors U.S. Big Oil Index -3X Inverse Leveraged ETN NRGZ: MicroSectors U.S. Big Oil Index -2X Inverse Leveraged ETN
