Wealthpire's Definitive ETF Guide

Without the benefit of a crystal ball, we cannot say beyond a shadow of a doubt what the coming years will hold in terms of new ETF introductions and closures. However, our ETF experts do believe the pace of new product debuts will slow a bit, but still remain robust. That said, our experts also see the pace of ETF closures rising as it has gradually from 2008 through 2011. It’s merely the law of averages. More funds on the market means more potential closures.

While they’re not forecasting an alarming increase in ETF "deaths." It’s reasonable to say that in a universe of almost 1,400 funds (and growing) that there are bound to be some turkeys that just are not worth your investment dollars. There are more than a few ETFs today that are plagued by low volume or low assets under management or both negative scenarios and we expect some of those funds will be liquidated this year.