While 2014 was a big year for ETPs, some of the year's launches savored breakout success while others were shuttered even before December.
Four ETP launches in 2014 -- two ETFs and two ETNs -- crossed the $250 million asset milestone before the end of the year, says Aniket Ullal, founder of First Bridge Data, a Fremont, Calif.,-based provider of independent ETF data and analytics. On the other end of the spectrum, there were five ETPs launched in 2014 that were closed before the end of the year, he says.
For ETFs specifically, there were a total of 204 launches in the U.S. alone -- and 77 that were closed, according to First Bridge Data. Overall, 22 of the ETFs that launched in 2014 -- just over 10% -- had assets above $100 million by the end of the year.
This shows the long odds that any new ETF faces in a crowded and competitive marketplace, Ullal says. "However, in general these closures represent a healthy pruning of product portfolios. In 2015 we can expect to see a similar pace of activity."
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Winner: iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF (HEWJ)
Expenses: 0.48%
Launch date: 1/31/2014
52-Wk High/Low: $29.01/$22.44
Current Total Assets: $282.74M
Average Trading Volume: 106,548
Winner: Credit Suisse FI Large Cap Growth Enhanced ETN (FLGE)
Expenses: 0.85%
Launch date: 6/11/2014
52-Wk High/Low: $119.75/$83.00
Current Total Assets: $591.88M
Average Trading Volume: 9,801
Winner: UBS AG FI Enhanced Large Cap Growth ETN (FBGX)
Expenses: 1.52%
Launch date: 6/11/2014
52-Wk High/Low: $116.95/$87.29
Current Total Assets: $668.97M
Average Trading Volume: 38,053
Winner: First Trust Dorsey Wright Focus ETF (FV)
Expenses: 0.95%
Launch date: 3/6/2014
52-Wk High/Low: $22.42/$17.39
Current Total Assets: $1.30B
Average Trading Volume: 483,475
Loser: Direxion Daily FTSE Europe Bear 3x Shares ETF (EURZ)
Expenses: 0.95%
Launch date: 1/5/2014
Close date: 9/23/2014
Last Price: $38.16
Ending Assets: $3.7M
Loser: EGShares TCW EM Short Term Investment Grade Bond ETF (SEMF)
Expenses: 0.65%
Launch date: 1/8/2014
Close date: 9/26/2014
Last Price: $19.96
Ending Assets: $3.99M
Loser: EGShares TCW EM Intermediate Term Investment Grade Bond (IEMF)
Expenses: 0.65%
Launch date: 1/8/2014
Close date: 9/30/2014
Last Price: $20.48
Ending Assets: $2M
Loser: EGShares TCW EM Long Term Investment Grade Bond ETF (LEMF)
Expenses: 0.65%
Launch date: 1/8/2014
Close date: 9/30/2014
Last Price: $20.62
Ending Assets: $2.1M
Loser: Direxion Daily Gold Bear 3x Shares (BARS)
Expenses: 1.56%
Launch date: 4/10/2014
Close date: 12/26/2014
Last Price: $47.25
Ending Assets: $5M
Note: As of 12/31/14. Sources: First Bridge Data, Morningstar, ETF Database
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