Last week almost all of the Japanese exchange traded funds (ETFs) and closed-end funds (CEFs) were up. The best performer, Vanguard Pacific Stock (VPL), which is up 9.3% year-to-date, most likely got its boost from the 28% of other Asian countries in the ETF. However, even VPL was no match against other Asian ETFs, says Steven Towns of Seeking Alpha.
Despite Japan’s ETFs’ low performance, the country continues to embrace ETFs. The Osaka Securities Exchange recently announced it will launch a new ETF in August. The new gold price-linked ETF aims to give retail investors better access to the gold market and will track a yen-based gold price index, according to Reuters.
Could the new ETF be the golden ticket Japan has been waiting for?
The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product.