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The Wackiest ETFs Around

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December 30, 2009 – Comments (15) | RELATED TICKERS: GLD , USO , FAS

We were brainstorming around TMF Interglactic HQ the other day trying to come up with some of the more strange potential ETFs that could be listed in 2010. Commodities such as gold and oil have their own ETFs, GLD and USO, respectively. And there's also the ultralong 3x and ultrashort 3x for the financials, FAS and FAZ, respectively.

So all these superhot sectors have their own ETFs and the funds are often highly-leveraged as well (3x!). So where’s the superhot restaurant ETF that’s a must-have and that will score me boffo CAPS points and/or real-life dough? You mean, there isn’t one??? I wanted to bet on restaurants to $5,000 as the dollar tanked.

So I proposed a 3x Bullish Restaurants ETF (ok, Fool editor-in-chief Brian Richards did) as well as a 3x Smallcap Retail ETF, to get the exposure to the smallcap retail space that my portfolio desperately needs. I like that.  You could have the short smallcap retailer ETF as well, for when Wal-Mart starts giving away goods, because it's so ruthlessly efficient. 

I'd also like a 3x Rambus ETF, both long and short versions. The entire portfolio is just Rambus, so that you ride the stock's mega volatility in whichever direction you like. 

So, Fools, what's the strangest ETF you can dream up?

 

Jim

No posiitions in any ticker

15 Comments – Post Your Own

#1) On December 30, 2009 at 1:39 PM, dudemonkey (57.40) wrote:

I'm holding out for the Alstry ETF (NYSE:  1_1_10!!!!)

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#2) On December 30, 2009 at 1:48 PM, TMFRoyal (99.14) wrote:

Hey, you could get the 3x long Alstry, who is short everything.

 

Jim

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#3) On December 30, 2009 at 1:51 PM, Imperial1964 (97.93) wrote:

Long and short VIX?

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#4) On December 30, 2009 at 3:09 PM, Momentum21 (98.18) wrote:

3X Cramer Index (Long and Short) - I don't really have it out for the guy but so many people love him or hate him so it would be lots of fun.

Tickers = BUYX or SUCX

 

 

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#5) On December 30, 2009 at 3:50 PM, chk999 (99.98) wrote:

I vote for ultra long and ultra short dried cod ETFs.

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#6) On December 30, 2009 at 5:17 PM, globalsailor (35.65) wrote:

monkeydart etf!  Get a monkey with a dart in a zoo: have him throw darts at a board of stocks sized by market cap.  Wherever the first 20 darts land weight them for eighteen months.  Also, you can short the monkey.  MONK, SMON

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#7) On December 30, 2009 at 5:20 PM, globalsailor (35.65) wrote:

Also on a slightly more serious note we need indexes for Motley Fool.  There should be five indexes, one for each rating star level.  The indexes should be weighted by the number of picks made for each stock.  Also, we should have a thumb-up and a thumb-down index.  That way we can know how well the MF community is doing.

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#8) On December 30, 2009 at 5:30 PM, TARPedBanks (< 20) wrote:

From my blog back in Jan 09

As far as I know, no one was dumb enough to create an ETF to follow the Govt Relief Index.  In the video clip, Mark Haines recommnended the ticker STNKY if it was ever done.

 

A TARP ETF? Investors Look to Cash In on The Bailout

"The Nasdaq launched a Government Relief Index on Jan. 5 [2009] to measure the performance of companies receiving TARP money, and now investors want a piece of the action." ......

Rest of the story here 

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#9) On December 30, 2009 at 6:52 PM, TMFRoyal (99.14) wrote:

How about a Vitamin C ETF? You definitely need the exposure to Big Vitamin in your portfolio.

It's also a stealth play on China, since China controls 90% (!!!) of the global Vitamin C market. For real...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003732744_vitamins03.html

(Slowly you see Big Vitamin C subsidizing piracy, since they benefit greatly from scurvy pirates.)

Jim, who loves the monkeydart ETF idea. It's just crazy enough to work.

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#10) On December 30, 2009 at 8:13 PM, starbucks4ever (99.53) wrote:

Long and short bonuses of executives at top 10 banks. Although, I do not see why anyone would buy the short fund. 

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#11) On December 31, 2009 at 12:41 AM, TMFBrich (86.78) wrote:

China and Vitamin C? Who'd have thunk it.

I love this thread. When Jim and I were initially talking about wacky ETFs, I made a mental note to research a few of the more bizarre products from over the years:

PowerShares Listed Private Equity (PSP): Buys shares of public companies that own stakes in private companies.

HealthShares Dermatology and Wound Care (HRW): Talk about a niche within a niche wrapped in bacon! In a related story, HRW was shut down in 2008.

FocusShares ISE-Revere Wal-Mart Supplier Index (WSI): Buys shares of companies who supply goods to Wal-Mart. It was real. In a related story, this ETF shut down in '08 and FocusShares' website now says it is "working towards executing the next phase of its business plan."

So there's my wacky ETF idea: The 2x UltraShort Stupid ETF Idea ETF (which shorts other ETFs that don't pass a commonsense sniff test).

Happy new year, all.

-Brian

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#12) On December 31, 2009 at 1:38 AM, goalie37 (97.03) wrote:

I think there should be an ETF of the money in my pocket.  For each dollar in market cap, one dollar will be placed in my wallet as a hard asset.

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#13) On December 31, 2009 at 8:36 AM, catoismymotor (67.75) wrote:

I think we need an ETF that covers animals we eat and animal by products: MEATZ

It would have as its holdings: FEED, HOGS, DAR, CALM, HRL, ADY, OFI, SAFM.

 

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#14) On December 31, 2009 at 9:37 AM, TMFRoyal (99.14) wrote:

FocusShares ISE-Revere Wal-Mart Supplier Index (WSI)

Love the idea.

The bull ETF would buy companies that are new Wal-Mart suppliers. These suppliers rapidly increase their production for Wal-Mart, expanding volumes and operating margins.

The bear ETF would short companies that have been long-time Wal-Mart suppliers, those that are facing lowered margins as Wal-Mart grinds out cost savings from them.

Hug me, Wal-Mart, just not so tight.

 

Jim

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#15) On December 31, 2009 at 10:03 AM, rd80 (99.11) wrote:

Long and short scandal ETFs. 

The funds buy/short sponsors of celebrities involved in some scandal.

Tickers TYGR and ELIN

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