Oh, those pesky Volatility Indexes, ETFs, ETNs, 2X and 3X and inverses…maybe there are too many now. But, unfortunately, it is time to say ‘VXX – Thanks for the Hedgeories’ It appears Barclay’s is shutting down VXX – iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN – on January 29th, 2019. VXZ – iPath S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures ETN will also terminate. What is an ETN? An ETN is an Exchange Traded Note. Unlike an ETF, if you hold shares in an ETN it is more like holding a bond. An ETN is an unsecured debt note underwritten by an institution – in this case Barclay’s. You can buy shares of an ETN, just like you can with an ETF. But, the ETN is not invested into the asset it tracks. There are pros and cons to each, but we will save that discussion for another blog. Why Does the…
Tag: volatility index
Stock Insurance OR Portfolio Insurance – Revisited
With the addition of new and interesting securities to help hedge a stock portfolio, the question arises more and more: ‘Is it better to insure my stock directly or use a different hedge to insure my portfolio?’ This is a very important question which has many components to it. During a PowerOptions Open Forum Webinar on January 14th, 2014 this question was posed. The actual question was: