Joel, Eric and Athanasios Psarofagis crack open the mailbag to answer some listener questions about ETFs.

Joel, Eric and Athanasios Psarofagis crack open the mailbag to answer some listener questions about ETFs.

Money goes where it’s treated best. That simple truth is a big reason why more and more money (trillions, in fact) flows into a powerful, low-cost tool that’s quietly transformed investing. Exchange-traded funds let you invest in everything from the stock market to gold like never before. This biweekly podcast will demystify them—and hopefully delight you in the process.

Money goes where it&rsquo;s treated best. That simple truth is a big reason why more and more money (trillions, in fact) flows into a powerful, low-cost tool that&rsquo;s quietly transformed investing. Exchange-traded funds let you invest in everything from the stock market to gold like never before. This biweekly podcast will demystify them&mdash;and hopefully delight you in the process.

Joel Weber and Eric Balchunas demystify the world of exchange-traded funds, or ETFs.

Trillions

The 2025 ETF Mailbag

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/afd17638-de8d-4536-b044-b318002bd76c/transcript

What's a new way to invest in artificial intelligence? And what's the latest tax strategy for wealthy investors? There's no shortage of exchange-traded funds, but some of the latest launches reveal important trends — and also what fathers can learn from their sons.

In this week's New ETFs to Watch episode, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber — joined by Bloomberg News cross-asset reporter Isabelle Lee — sift through the latest launches. They highlight the Investment House ETF (TIH) and the growing use of ETFs to defer taxes, how the Yorkville America MANGOS Plus Index ETF (FRUT) is betting on the next generation of AI winners, and whether investors really want a hedged version of Bitcoin (HBIT). They also explore Eric's negative aura.

What's a new way to invest in artificial intelligence? And what's the latest tax strategy for wealthy investors? There's no shortage of exchange-traded funds, but some of the latest launches reveal important trends &mdash; and also what fathers can learn from their sons. In this week's New ETFs to Watch episode, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber &mdash; joined by Bloomberg News cross-asset reporter Isabelle Lee &mdash; sift through the latest launches. They highlight the Investment House ETF (TIH) and the growing use of ETFs to defer taxes, how the Yorkville America MANGOS Plus Index ETF (FRUT) is betting on the next generation of AI winners, and whether investors really want a hedged version of Bitcoin (HBIT). They also explore Eric's negative aura.

New ETFs to Watch: MANGOS, Tax Tricks and Boring Bitcoin

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9e9aa013-813f-463b-9f33-b4c70142bb24/transcript

Today, Vanguard is synonymous with low-cost index investing. But as the firm marks 50 years since the launch of the first index fund, something surprising has happened: After decades of relentless gains, Vanguard’s share of the fund industry has plateaued. For most companies, that would be bad news. Yet Jack Bogle might have seen it differently. More than 30 years ago, Vanguard’s founder said he’d know his mission was succeeding when competitors became so cheap that Vanguard itself began losing market share.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber — joined by Bloomberg News cross-asset reporter Isabelle Lee — revisit Bogle’s legacy. They trace the unlikely rise of the index fund, why it took decades to catch on and how Vanguard’s low-cost model eventually forced the rest of Wall Street to change. They also explore what Vanguard’s plateau means now that the Bogle Effect has become so much bigger than Vanguard itself. 

Today, Vanguard is synonymous with low-cost index investing. But as the firm marks 50 years since the launch of the first index fund, something surprising has happened: After decades of relentless gains, Vanguard&rsquo;s share of the fund industry has plateaued. For most companies, that would be bad news. Yet Jack Bogle might have seen it differently. More than 30 years ago, Vanguard&rsquo;s founder said he&rsquo;d know his mission was succeeding when competitors became so cheap that Vanguard itself began losing market share. On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber &mdash; joined by Bloomberg News cross-asset reporter Isabelle Lee &mdash; revisit Bogle&rsquo;s legacy. They trace the unlikely rise of the index fund, why it took decades to catch on and how Vanguard&rsquo;s low-cost model eventually forced the rest of Wall Street to change. They also explore what Vanguard&rsquo;s plateau means now that the Bogle Effect has become so much bigger than Vanguard itself.&nbsp;

Vanguard’s Plateau Is Exactly What Jack Bogle Wanted

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c102bbbe-5ecf-44a7-9fa6-b4c001446fe9/transcript

Oil has been one of the wildest trades of the year, surging and retreating as US tensions with Iran — and US President Donald Trump's endless hopes for a deal — have repeatedly whipsawed markets. For traders, the go-to exchange-traded fund for playing those moves has long been the United States Oil Fund (USO). But another, lesser-known fund has been gaining momentum. The USCF Energy Commodity Strategy Absolute Return Fund (USE) can go long or short across a range of energy commodities, offering investors a more dynamic way to play the oil market.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber are joined by Bloomberg Intelligence's Andre Yapp to explain why USE is the ETF of the moment. They explore how its active strategy differs from USO, what “absolute return” actually means, and why trading oil through futures comes with risks most investors rarely encounter. They also dig into one potentially attractive feature of USE: Unlike USO, it won't leave investors dealing with the dreaded K-1 tax form.

Oil has been one of the wildest trades of the year, surging and retreating as US tensions with Iran &mdash; and US President Donald Trump's endless hopes for a deal &mdash; have repeatedly whipsawed markets. For traders, the go-to exchange-traded fund for playing those moves has long been the United States Oil Fund (USO). But another, lesser-known fund has been gaining momentum. The USCF Energy Commodity Strategy Absolute Return Fund (USE) can go long or short across a range of energy commodities, offering investors a more dynamic way to play the oil market. On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber are joined by Bloomberg Intelligence's Andre Yapp to explain why USE is the ETF of the moment. They explore how its active strategy differs from USO, what &ldquo;absolute return&rdquo; actually means, and why trading oil through futures comes with risks most investors rarely encounter. They also dig into one potentially attractive feature of USE: Unlike USO, it won't leave investors dealing with the dreaded K-1 tax form.

An ETF for a Wild Oil Market

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2d9f57e8-e6e8-4664-8d6a-b4b901489203/transcript

The 2025 ETF Mailbag

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