Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, ProShares UltraShort Gold
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at ProShares UltraShort Gold and see what CAPS investors are saying about the ETF right now.
ProShares UltraShort Gold facts
| Inception | December 2008 |
| Total Net Assets | $100.1 million |
| Investment Approach | Seeks to provide daily investment results that correspond to twice (200%) the inverse (opposite) of the daily performance of gold bullion as measured by the U.S. dollar p.m. fixing price for delivery in London. |
| Expense Ratio | 0.95% |
| Year-to-Date / 1-Year / 3-Year Returns | (27.9%) / (7.0%) / (39.3%) |
| Alternatives |
PowerShares DB Gold Short ETN PowerShares DB Gold Double Short ETN ProShares UltraShort Silver |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 57% of the 347 members who have rated ProShares UltraShort Gold believe the ETF will underperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Earlier this year, one of those Fools, All-Star TerryHogan, succinctly summed up the bear case for our community:
With anything other than a straight downward trajectory for the commodity these guys will degrade over time due to the leverage. So as long as there's some volatility they will underperform in the very long run. If there's an up market, they will underperform very quickly in the short run.
If you want market-thumping returns, you need to protect your portfolio from any undue risk. Luckily, our special report on ETFs highlights three funds that are poised to soar in the next recovery. It's 100% free, but won't last forever, so click here to access it now.
Want to see how well (or not so well) the stocks in this series are performing? Follow the TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.
