Grail Adds 4 Actively Managed ETFs
October 5, 2009

SAN DIEGO (ETFguide.com) – Providers of exchange-traded funds are poised to take market share from mutual funds. And according to theory, the way to do that is by offering ETFs that allow fund managers to pick and chose securities.

To that end, San Francisco, CA-based Grail Advisors has just added four new active ETFs to its lineup. The funds will invest in technology, financial and growth stocks. 

Grail’s strategy is to select money managers to oversee its active ETFs.

The new active ETFs from Grail Advisors are as follows:

RP Growth (NYSEArca: RPX)
RPX seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of companies that River Park Advisors believes have above-average growth prospects.

RP Focused Large Cap Growth (NYSEArca: RWG)
RWG seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing at least 80% of its net assets large company stocks that Wedgewood Partners, the ETF’s other sub-adviser, believes have above-average growth prospects.

RP Technology (NYSEArca: RPQ)
RPQ seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing at least 80% of its net assets in technology stocks. RPQ is exclusively sub-advised by River Park Advisors.

RP Financials (NYSEArca: RFF)
RFF is exclusively sub-advised by River Park Advisors, seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing at least 80% of its net assets in financial services companies.

In May, Grail introduced its first ETF, the Grail American Beacon Large Cap Value ETF (NYSEArca: GVT). GVT uses a multi-manager approach and has Brandywine Global Investment Management, Hotchkis and Wiley Capital Management and Metropolitan West Capital Management as sub-advisors.

Stocks inside Grail’s ETFs are disclosed on a daily basis whereas with traditional mutual funds, the disclosure period is typically quarterly with a 45-day lag.

The annual expense ratios for Grail’s latest round of active ETFs are 0.89%.

In related news, Barclays Global Investors introduced the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe Index Fund (NYSEArca: ESR). The fund follows stocks from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Russia. ESR is benchmarked to the MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe Index.

ESR holds 47 stocks and has annual expenses of 0.72%.