December 21, 2015
Good Afternoon. Please reconsider your decision last Friday on further regulating leveraged and inverse ETFs. I am a retail investor. I am aware of the risks involved. Removing the leveraged and inverse ETFs will not add to my safety, it will only take away from my bottom line. Please reconsider your plan on further regulating these instruments.It should not be the SEC's place to decide what is best for the investor in this manner.
Leveraged ETFs can be helpful to investors who would like to gain overexposure to a specific sector or index, but do not have the required capital. For example, suppose that an investor is 95% invested in a diversified allocation, but is lacking exposure to the utility sector. The investor's goal is to invest 10% of his or her portfolio into utilities however, with only 5% in cash it might appear impossible. For a retail investor not involved with options, this is a great way to hedge positions. Also, during bull market cycles, certain leveraged ETFs have outperformed the SP, like UPRO and TQQQ.
To take away this tool from investors is unfair and does not benefit the market as a whole. I am a Marine Corps veteran, and I signed up to protect the great freedoms we have as Americans, which includes investments.
Thank you for your time.
Justin Wilson
Butler University - Finance Major
Vice President, Butler University Military Veterans
(317)292-2185