CHICAGO, Dec. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Securities in this article include: PowerShares KBW Bank Portfolio (KBWB – Free Report), iShares US Broker-Dealers ETF (IAI – Free Report), and PowerShares Global Listed Private Equity ETF (PSP – Free Report). Eric Dutram looks at a few ETFs which could be impacted by the new Volcker Rule and its implementation.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/ZIRLOGO)
3 Financial ETFs to Watch on Volcker Rule Implementation written by Eric Dutram of Zacks Investment Research:
In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008, the government sought to put in a variety of rules in order to prevent such a collapse from ever happening again. At the center of this process was the Dodd-Frank regulations which hit came into being in 2010.
However, many of the key provisions of this law have yet to be drafted, such as the so-called 'Volcker Rule', which was in the Dodd-Frank bill, but has been going back and forth among regulators and financial entities since then. Finally, it appears as if the variety of financial regulators have agreed on a way forward with this rule, giving banks until July 2015 to meet the terms of the rule (see all the Financial ETFs here).
Volcker Rule in Focus
The new guidelines look to prevent traditional lending companies from engaging in proprietary trading and a variety of high risk activities with depositor money. The idea behind this being that if a prop desk crashes, it won't bring down the whole bank and force the government to get involved in order to bailout innocent depositors.
The law will also require CEO attestation of the effectiveness of compliance programs so that traders cannot run rouge and blow up a trading system on their own. This was obviously a huge issue when JP Morgan faced some trouble from its 'London Whale' debacle, which could have easily taken down a smaller financial institution, a risk that this requirement is looking to reduce.
The move may also reduce some bank profits, while it could also curtail market making activities. Some also are concerned that regulators will not be able to tell the difference between some types of hedging and other types of lower risk bets which are actually reducing exposure levels, a potential unintended consequence of the new provisions.
The real key to the law will be the implementation and how deep the Volcker Rule concerns really go, and if it curtails bank profits. Either way, the following three financial ETFs look to be ones to watch in the months ahead, as they could be the most impacted by this new rule:
PowerShares KBW Bank Portfolio (KBWB)
The law is targeted right at the banking industry, seeking to separate deposits and perceived higher-risk trading activities. For this reason, any bank-focused ETF could be heavily impacted by the news, such as KBWB.
This PowerShares product tracks the KBW Bank Index, holding about 25 companies in its basket. The biggest weights include some of the most-likely impacted firms, such as C, BAC, and JPM, though smaller, regional banks are also included as well, though large caps make up 67% of the total assets (read Top Ranked Financial ETF in Focus).
Thanks to its large cap value focus, the fund does have a risk rating of 'low' so it shouldn't be too volatile even if trading issues arise. Meanwhile, the fund does have a Zacks ETF Rank #2 (Buy), and with a 36% gain over the past year it has certainly seen a strong performance over the past 52 weeks, so hopefully Volcker Rule issues don't derail this solid trend.
For the full article, please visit Zacks.com at: http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/116677/3-financial-etfs-to-watch-on-volcker-rule-implementation
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
About Zacks
Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros http://at.zacks.com/?id=113
Follow Eric on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericdutram
Join Zacks on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.
Contact: Eric Dutram
Company: Zacks.com
Phone: 312-265-9462
Email: [email protected]
Visit: www.Zacks.com
SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article