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Muni Fever Not Over Yet: Van Eck Launches Second Fund
Written by Heather Bell   
Monday, 07 January 2008 16:24  |  Related ETFs: ITM / MLN / PZA

You might have thought the barrage of municipal bond exchange-traded funds was over. After all, things have been pretty quiet lately, with the most recent launch taking place about a month ago. But, as of today, you'd be wrong, as Van Eck Global, a latecomer to the field, launched its second muni bond ETF.

The Market Vectors-Lehman Brothers AMT-Free Long Municipal Index ETF (AMEX: MLN) tracks the Lehman Brothers AMT-Free Long Continuous Municipal Index. The index is weighted by market value and includes fixed-rate, investment-grade municipal bonds with durations of at least 17 years and outstanding par values of at least $7 million. As implied by the index's name, its components are all exempt from the alternative minimum tax.

MLN carries a net expense ratio of 0.24%. The PowerShares Insured National Municipal Bond Portfolio (AMEX: PZA) also tracks long maturity muni bonds; it charges an expense ratio of 0.28%.

The new ETF joins the Market Vectors-Lehman Brothers AMT-Free Intermediate Municipal Index ETF (AMEX: ITM), which was launched December 6 and tracks the Lehman Brothers AMT-Free Intermediate Municipal Index. The components of the intermediate index have a nominal maturity of six to 17 years.

Actually, things are far from over: Another four muni bond ETFs from Van Eck are on the way, according to a registration statement filed by the firm. Still to come are a national short-term muni bond fund, funds covering the New York and California muni bond markets, and a high-yield fund. Should Van Eck launch all of the proposed ETFs as planned, there is a good chance it will have the broadest offering of municipal bond ETFs at one firm.

You can view the prospectus for MLN here.

 

More on this topic (What's this?)
The Next Five Years In ETFs
The Bond Market is Not Stupid
Read more on Bond Investing, Municipal Bond ETFs, Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) at Wikinvest
 

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