Smart Beta ETFs: Is Yours Silly Or Seriously Good?

Otmane El Rhazi from Investor's Business Daily - ETFs RSS.

In a year of modest stock market gains, smart beta ETFs -- many of which try to beat cap-weighted benchmarks -- are more popular than ever. Forty-seven smart, or strategic, beta ETFs have debuted in the U.S. this year, lifting the U.S. total to 432. Globally, these exchange traded products are seeing strong inflow for a third consecutive year. Assets have grown at an annualized clip of nearly 40% since the beginning of 2012 -- twice the rate for the