Over the past decade, about 30 spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund applications have been swatted aside by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The outlook appeared dire. And then a surprise filing by BlackRock Inc. in mid-June seemed to change the mood. A rush of new applications and amendments to existing proposals soon followed. And Ophelia Snyder—co-founder and president of 21Shares, who had re-filed a spot Bitcoin ETF application with ARK Invest in April—was in the mix again.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber dive into the never-ending race for a Bitcoin ETF, joined by Snyder and James Seyffart, an ETF analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. The group discusses the new attention on market surveillance, what Coinbase’s involvement means, the odds of any of these applications actually getting approved—and the size of the potential market. 

Over the past decade, about 30 spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund applications have been swatted aside by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The outlook appeared dire. And then a surprise filing by BlackRock Inc. in mid-June seemed to change the mood. A rush of new applications and amendments to existing proposals soon followed. And Ophelia Snyder—co-founder and president of 21Shares, who had re-filed a spot Bitcoin ETF application with ARK Invest in April—was in the mix again.
On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber dive into the never-ending race for a Bitcoin ETF, joined by Snyder and James Seyffart, an ETF analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. The group discusses the new attention on market surveillance, what Coinbase’s involvement means, the odds of any of these applications actually getting approved—and the size of the potential market.

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 in recent years. Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, let you invest in everything from the stock market to gold like never before. This biweekly podcast will demystify them—and delight you in the process.

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

Trillions

The Race for the Bitcoin ETF Heats Up

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9bf2242c-78ab-4391-a77a-b03601558cc6/transcript

One of the year’s hottest investments? Bitcoin, which has surged on exchange-traded fund adoption as well as the return of the “Trump trade.” One way to go especially big on that bet is two new leveraged ETFs: MSTX and MSTU, which are 2X MicroStrategy—a company that’s already a highly exposed Bitcoin proxy.

Both ETFs effectively give investors a 4X exposure to Bitcoin. If that sounds volatile, it is: MSTX is the most volatile ETF in the US. Consider this space the “ghost pepper” of hot sauces.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Sylvia Jablonski, the CEO and CIO of Defiance ETFs—the issuer behind MSTX. They discuss how the product came into existence, what the Trump trade has meant for inflows, why there’s a modest rivalry with MSTU already, how investors are using options on the product and what makes a good “ghost pepper.”

One of the year’s hottest investments? Bitcoin, which has surged on exchange-traded fund adoption as well as the return of the “Trump trade.” One way to go especially big on that bet is two new leveraged ETFs: MSTX and MSTU, which are 2X MicroStrategy—a company that’s already a highly exposed Bitcoin proxy.
Both ETFs effectively give investors a 4X exposure to Bitcoin. If that sounds volatile, it is: MSTX is the most volatile ETF in the US. Consider this space the “ghost pepper” of hot sauces.
On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Sylvia Jablonski, the CEO and CIO of Defiance ETFs—the issuer behind MSTX. They discuss how the product came into existence, what the Trump trade has meant for inflows, why there’s a modest rivalry with MSTU already, how investors are using options on the product and what makes a good “ghost pepper.”

Get Ready for the Hottest Hot Sauce

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a6044abd-e155-48f3-8366-b22001013a1a/transcript

As with humans, death is a part of life in the exchange-traded fund industry. There have been about 150 closures this year, which may be a bit surprising given how almost everything is up in the markets. So what’s behind this year’s class of liquidated ETFs? And what does it mean for investors? 

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber dig into the stories and answer the “why” behind some of the closures in 2024. On hand to assist is Vildana Hajric, a cross-asset reporter for Bloomberg, and Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi.

As with humans, death is a part of life in the exchange-traded fund industry. There have been about 150 closures this year, which may be a bit surprising given how almost everything is up in the markets. So what’s behind this year’s class of liquidated ETFs? And what does it mean for investors? 
On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber dig into the stories and answer the “why” behind some of the closures in 2024. On hand to assist is Vildana Hajric, a cross-asset reporter for Bloomberg, and Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi.

Why These ETFs Died During a Bull Market

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b15b1df1-35db-41b4-a747-b2120103fe48/transcript

Derivatives-enhanced exchange-traded funds have become a hit with retail investors. There’s been more than 160 such launches so far this year, with monikers such as “laddered buffer” and “covered call,” and they’ve attracted $50 billion and counting. While many of the products were designed to protect from downturns, some include options that can generate cash, which comes back to investors in the form of dividends. (Did someone say “yields”?)

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Denitsa Tsekova and Vildana Hajric, Bloomberg cross-asset reporters who wrote a recent feature story about this new retail boom. The group is also joined by Todd Akin, a retail trader behind the Unconventional Wealth Ideas YouTube channel and one of the characters in their story. They discuss why these ETFs have become so popular, how they work—and what the risks are.

Derivatives-enhanced exchange-traded funds have become a hit with retail investors. There’s been more than 160 such launches so far this year, with monikers such as “laddered buffer” and “covered call,” and they’ve attracted $50 billion and counting. While many of the products were designed to protect from downturns, some include options that can generate cash, which comes back to investors in the form of dividends. (Did someone say “yields”?)
On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Denitsa Tsekova and Vildana Hajric, Bloomberg cross-asset reporters who wrote <a href="bbg://news/stories/SKZVMFDWX2PS" data-web-url="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-06/-100-yields-fuel-a-retail-boom-in-quick-buck-etfs?sref=fSOf3OlP" data-cke-saved-href="bbg://news/stories/SKZVMFDWX2PS">a recent feature story</a> about this new retail boom. The group is also joined by Todd Akin, a retail trader behind the Unconventional Wealth Ideas YouTube channel and one of the characters in their story. They discuss why these ETFs have become so popular, how they work—and what the risks are.

The Rise of the Quick-Buck ETF

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/770346d2-491c-48a8-8b41-b204010c3a93/transcript

The Race for the Bitcoin ETF Heats Up

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