SPDR Bloomberg Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF (ARCA: FLRN)

Latest news for SPDR Bloomberg Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF (ARCA:FLRN)

SPDR Bloomberg Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF

SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF

SPDR Barclays Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF

The fund generally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index and in securities that the Adviser determines have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of the securities that comprise the index. The index is designed to measure the performance of U.S. dollar-denominated, investment grade floating rate notes.

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Market Vectors Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF

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Floating Rate Bond ETFs Your Broker Forgot to Mention

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Merrill Lynch Retail HOLDRS Trust due 12/31/41

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ETF Stats for December 2011: Closures Set Monthly Record and Total Listings Decline

As global equity markets remain volatile, investors continue to look for somewhere to stash their cash, regardless of anemic interest rates. Resultantly, bond funds continue to thrive. One overlooked bond investment option some individuals might want to consider is floating rate securities. These securities offer periodically resetting interest payments, with rates tied to a representative interest rate index, <a href="http://www.investinginbonds.com/learnmore.asp?catid=9&amp;subcatid=52&amp;id=275">according to InvestingInBonds</a>.

Floaters, as these securities are often called, offer another benefit. They often have short durations, which significantly reduces exposure to the risk of rising interest rates. Interest paid on floaters is not compounded, but many do pay make monthly payouts, helping boost the allure of these products for income investors. 

Of course, investors can access floaters via ETFs. Not surprisingly, given that floaters do not get much attention in the bond world, floating rate bond ETFs do not get much press among bond funds. Here are three your broker probably forgot to tell you about.

iShares Floating Rate Note Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/flot#NYSE">FLOT</a>)
By far the largest of the floating rate bond ETFs, the iShares Floating Rate Note Fund has amassed $239 million in assets under management (AUM) since its June 2011 debut. FLOT stands out as valid option for investors craving a low duration bond fund. It has an effective duration of just 0.14 years <a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/FLOT.htm">according to iShares data</a>. 

Home to 215 holdings, FLOT features a 30-day SEC yield of 1.12 percent and a favorable expense ratio of 0.2 percent. More than 75 percent of FLOT's holdings hail from the banking and industrial sectors while another 11.5 percent of the fund's weight is allocated to agency bonds.

Market Vectors Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/fltr#NYSE">FLTR</a>)
The Market Vectors Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF is the oldest of the floating bond ETF trio, having debuted in April 2011. Although FLTR is far smaller than its iShares rival with just $7.3 million in AUM, FLTR is also slightly less expensive with annual fees of 0.19 percent. 

In addition, FLTR is smaller by number of holdings with 21 and this ETF features an average modified duration of almost 2.7 years. Year-to-date, FLTR has gained 4.3 percent compared to a 2.4 percent jump for FLOT. On the Standard &amp; Poor's rating scale, almost 96 percent of FLTR's holdings are rated investment grade. The ETF has a 30-day SEC yield of 1.13 percent.

SPDR Barclays Capital Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/flrn#NYSE">FLRN</a>)
The SPDR Barclays Capital Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF is the newest member of the floating rate ETF group, having debuted in November 2011. It is also the least expensive fund in the trio with an annual expense ratio of just 0.15 percent. With 102 holdings, FLRN has a modified adjusted duration of just 0.13 years. FLRN has $9.1 million in AUM and a 30-day SEC yield of 1.16 percent.

For more on obscure bond ETFs, click <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/markets/bonds/12/07/2759979/3-more-high-yield-bond-etfs-your-broker-forgot-to-mention">here</a>.

A Case For Getting Off The Sidelines And Into Bond ETFs

SPDR Barclays Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF declares monthly distribution of $0.1475

Allocation Today: Think Scarce And Short

SPDR Barclays Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF declares monthly distribution of $0.1549