NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - May 1, 2012) - ETFs have been gaining popularity among investors as a result of the poor performance of actively managed funds. The low costs, transparency, liquidity, and better tax efficiency are some of the major reasons ETFs are being chosen over mutual funds. "That's what makes us the best game in town for investors and it is the reason why ETFs are growing faster than mutual funds," Jonathan Steinberg, founder & CEO of WisdomTree, said in a recent interview with Yahoo Finance. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for Exchange Traded Funds and provides equity research on the iShares Silver Trust ETF (NYSE: [ SLV ]) and Market Vectors Gold Miners Trust ETF (NYSE: [ GDX ]).

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There are approximately 1,500 different exchange traded products, with only 47 actively managed ETFs, the remaining 97 percent fall into the passive, unmanaged or specialty grouping. Steinberg, whose firm runs 14 of the 47 actively managed ETFs, says Exchange Traded Funds are set for "literally trillions and trillions of future growth." He predicts that eventually active and passive ETF will make up 50 percent of all long-term assets. The number currently stands at 10 percent, which Steinberg says is attracting 50 percent of all new investing money. "The ETF is to the mutual fund, what the internet is to the newspaper," he says.

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The iShares Silver Trust ETF is intended to constitute a simple and cost-effective means of making an investment similar to an investment in silver. Although the fund is not the exact equivalent of an investment in silver, they provide investors with an alternative that allows a level of participation in the silver market through the securities market. Gold and Silver prices experienced a sharp pull back last Wednesday after FOMC released its latest statement. Silver futures increased 14 cents to close at $31.34 last Friday.

Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, the price and yield performance of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (GDM). The Index provides exposure to publicly traded companies worldwide involved primarily in the mining for gold, representing a diversified blend of small, mid and large-capitalization stocks. The fund experienced a $152.7 million dollar inflow, nearly a 2 percent increase in outstanding units from 169,952,500 to 173,252,500 week-over-week.

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