ETFs a mixed blessing for retail investors

NEVER has investing been so easy. With the click of a button, new investors can buy a portfolio of stocks through an exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking a stock market index.

The development of these index-tracking funds has been hugely beneficial for the retail investor.

Investors pay low fees, because their investing process is highly automated and economies of scale are achieved with large pools of money.

They also get the benefits of divers…