In the aftermath of the 2010 Flash Crash, the SEC investigated ways to prevent the widespread disruption of prices that led to trades at absurd levels. One of the outcomes was the creation of single-stock circuit breakers across the entire market (SEC document). These breakers are designed to halt trading at specific points to allow markets to stabilize before restarting. Bigger drops triggered longer waits …
Many of the 1600+ Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) on the market are low volume, low asset offerings that either implement failed strategies or have bigger, higher volume competitors. However, some low volume ETPs offer unique opportunities you won’t want to wait for. I’ve organized the special handling required for low volume funds into these categories: Alternatives Before you buy When you buy While you’re holding …
It’s disconcerting when the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) you’re interested in has low trading volumes. Days can go by with no volume at all. If it was a small cap stock you wouldn’t consider buying it. But low volume in itself shouldn’t prevent you from considering an ETF—some have the liquidity of a large-cap stock. ETF Liquidity Unlike stocks, ETFs have two levels of liquidity. …
