Our financial system is crumbling this week.

[Arthur Dent]

Does anybody understand the details of ETFs? They're supposed to track a market index, but as far as I can tell, dividends are totally excluded from that calculation. As a result, two supposedly identical S&P 500 ETFs (IVV and SPY) have equivalent values, but SPY seems to pay like twice the dividend. What am I missing here?

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=spy

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ivv

The yields are pretty much identical. Why do you think SPY pays twice the dividend?

The reported yields are bogus. Look at the actual dividends paid. Last year, for example, SPY paid four dividends of ~$0.60 while IVV paid two in similar amounts.

[Gashouse]

Does anybody understand the details of ETFs? They're supposed to track a market index, but as far as I can tell, dividends are totally excluded from that calculation. As a result, two supposedly identical S&P 500 ETFs (IVV and SPY) have equivalent values, but SPY seems to pay like twice the dividend. What am I missing here?

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=spy

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ivv

The yields are pretty much identical. Why do you think SPY pays twice the dividend?

The reported yields are bogus. Look at the actual dividends paid. Last year, for example, SPY paid four dividends of ~$0.60 while IVV paid two in similar amounts.

yeah, something isn't right there. I would assume that there is an error with Yahoo's page showing when dividends were paid or how much was paid and that the reported yield is correct.

[dangerous]

I think ETF's are managed for short term trades and the return is not the same as cumulative, it is the daytrading result less management fees.

[dangerous]

[Gashouse]

I think ETF's are managed for short term trades and the return is not the same as cumulative, it is the daytrading result less management fees.

Not the indexes AD was asking about. They have very low turnover.

[Arthur Dent]

I think ETF's are managed for short term trades and the return is not the same as cumulative, it is the daytrading result less management fees.

I don't think so. The management fees are pretty tiny, and they do track their index extremely well over the long term. The missing piece is dividends, and that doesn't make sense to me.

[dangerous]

[TabascoElvis]

Just ran across this little tidbit relative to our situation here in Michigan.

LINK

Cost to rent a u-haul one way going to Michigan: $258

Cost to rent a u-haul one way leaving Michigan: $1,228

Supply and demand, baby: the rats are fleeing.

[Arthur Dent]

Where are they moving?

[TabascoElvis]

Where are they moving?

From the info I linked to above...

The Mid-Atlantic and Western regions proved to be popular destinations in 2008 for those looking to change their places of residence. The findings are among the results of United Van Lines' 32nd annual "migration" study (data here), which tracks where its customers moved from and their most popular destinations over the past 12 months.