How do I Choose the Best Natural Gas ETF?

When any kind of beginning or professional investor looks to choose the best natural gas ETF for a portfolio or investment opportunity, some general principles including cost, access, and market positioning will help in selecting fund choices that have the most potential benefit. Investors can look at the prospectus for a natural gas ETF, find resources on the strategies of its leadership, and look at how that fund is likely to perform in future markets.

One important aspect of picking natural gas ETFs is looking at the general “market context” for this commodity-based fund type. People who are investing in commodity ETFs, such as natural gas ETFs, need to look at how the values of those commodities might change over time. For example, with natural gas, it’s crucial for investors to know something about the actual processes that companies use to mine this resource, especially as the liabilities of natural gas mining get attention in the media.

Another big issue with commodity ETFs is the general supply and demand context. Investors should weigh how they expect natural gas commodities to perform in markets, and make their natural gas ETF choices based on those hunches. It’s also important for investors to know that they have choices: although some might think that natural gas funds only promote a long-term position in this commodity, the reality is that some natural gas ETF offerings actually help investors to “short” the market by betting on a liquid fund with an inverse correlation to some of the classic natural gas ETFs that gain through a higher valuation for the commodity.

Investors can also look at groups like the CFTC, or Commodities Futures Trading Commission, for more news on how natural gas ETFs might do in a current and future market situation. International events and changes in popular awareness about energy resources can have a huge impact on any energy commodity, including natural gas; this causes some risks of volatility for many natural gas ETF funds. One additional handy tip for curbing volatility is to invest in a “natural gas index fund” that is more diversified.

Finally, investors should also look at both costs and tax burdens for the funds, as well as inspecting the actual prospectus thoroughly. On one end, it’s important to realize how much fees and costs may get taken out of any actual gains. On the other, it’s crucial to understand the underlying commodity plays that make up the ETF as these funds can be significantly diversified, and hence, complicated.