Ad of the Month
(Alas, this ad is not online, so there is no link to the advertisement per se.) Barclays has a bunch of exchange-traded funds called iShares and a recent ad in Business Week and most likely other publications included this smarmy prose.
Imagine a world without market timing, trend chasing or irrational investing. Now that's a world we should all want to be a part of.
Here's the problem.
The iShares Investor's Guide trumpets some of the advantages of iShares.
While iShares ETFs provide diversification, they actually trade like stocks. This means they can be traded in any number of shares during market hours. They can be purchased with limit orders. They can be traded on margin.
If one were really upset about market trading, one would not stress the ability to trade a security at a market price during a session. And if one truly wanted to decry irrational investing, perhaps one would not mention trading on margin, the favorite investment tactic of the irrationally exuberant investor.
There is nothing inherently wrong with an exchange-traded fund, but there is nothing inherently heroic about them, either, despite what the Barclays marketing department might have you believe.
Labels: Barclays, iShares, stupid advertising tricks
