Sign of the Times

ProShares registers to launch three different ETFs allowing you to short brick and mortar retailers.

Via Bloomberg:

A trio of new ETFs proposed by ProShare Advisors LLC take positions against retailers that are most likely to suffer from the dominance of internet shopping, “bricks and mortar” companies that rely on a physical store to sell their wares, regulatory filings show. Two of the funds will use leverage to boost the returns on their bets against the industry, while the other will short traditional retailers and go long firms that stand to benefit most from the boom in electronic commerce, according to the documents.

Josh here. Could this announced product signify a bottom for brick and mortar retail? Is this the thing that marks the low in sentiment toward the shopping mall?

Nah, too easy.

Though it does mark the mood around non-online retail pretty nicely. A sign of the times to be sure.

On a related note, I don’t hate this song even though I feel like I should. It kind of grabbed me this summer.

Source:

New ETFs Bet Against the Shopping Mall by Shorting Traditional Retail Stores (Bloomberg)