| ETNs are exchange-traded notes, cousin of the far better-known exchange-traded fund, or ETF, and they have been at the center of some drama lately. Despite a drop in new launches and critical articles in the financial news media, ETNs are growing at twice the rate of ETFs -- and not many things have grown faster than ETFs, except maybe the Internet.
Total ETN assets jumped 47 percent, or $8 billion, over the past 12 months, to $25 billion, compared to about 25 percent for ETFs. What makes all this so curious is that almost everything ETNs track you can get in an ETF, with less risk. So why on earth have these things captured $25 billion in assets, much less $25?..............................................Full Article: Source
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