Let’s say, that after reading my post on asset allocation in my Perfect 5 ETF, you agree and decide that you do want to put 30% of your portfolio into an emerging markets ETF. But which one do you pick?
In some markets deciding how much money you’re going to put into any asset is as hard as picking the assets themselves. In some markets, I’d argue, it’s even harder. Unfortunately, the current market is one of those markets. The reliable guide for allocation assets in a portfolio, history, isn’t much help right now. That’s why, when it comes to deciding on the asset allocations for my new Perfect 5 ETF Active Passive Portfolio, I’m going to use a somewhat more active approach
I’m illustrating this post on adding the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) with a Chinese flag because that’s what you get (China) with this “diversified” emerging markets ETF. 10 of the first 20 stocks, ranked by percentage of the portfolio each holding makes up, is a Chinese company.
Now we get to a really, really hard pick. It’s so hard because our rules, assumptions, and portfolio allocations for fixed income assets is so heavily influenced by a fifteen year period that’s now over. Done with. Gone.
For my third pick for my new Perfect 5 ETF Active Passive Portfolio I looked to fill the Commodities slot in the portfolio with an ETF that would provide a hedge for the portfolio if the market tumbled but that would also produce a positive return if the market didn’t fall but other recent trends continued. The pick that achieves those two goals is the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD)
For my second pick for my new actively allocated, passive ETF portfolio, I’m going to keep working on the equity core. To yesterday’s pick of the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV), today I’m adding the SPDR Euro Stoxx 50 ETF (FEZ). This ETF concentrates on European blue chip stocks and tracks the Stoxx 50 Net Return Index. This ETF will fill the Non-U.S. Developed Markets slot in the portfolio. Why a European stock fund?
Can I clear up one bit of confusion? ETFs are indeed passively managed investment vehicles. Their portfolios passively follow indexes rather than allocating money into the picks of a fund manager. But portfolios of ETFs put together by investors aren’t–and indeed can’t be–passively managed. And that’s why, this week, I’m launching my new Perfect 5 Active Passive ETF portfolio.
