Watch Out United States ETN Investors—Exchange Traded Notes Can Be Extremely Volatile!

While the popularity of exchange traded notes (“ETNs”) has surged, ETNs can be extremely volatile, and investors run the risk of losing their entire investment. ETNs reportedly hold $17.4 billion in assets, up from under $5 billion five years ago. Exchange traded notes issued by Credit Suisse have recently traded at prices that were far above and below the true value of the ETN (See “2 ETNs’ manic swings point out peril of use,” by Jason Kephart, InvestmentNews). The true value of an exchange traded note (or any fund) is the net value of the tracked (or held) index or other asset. But when an asset gets hot, like ETNs, it can get overbought, and when something happens to dry up demand, it can get oversold. All of this can happen fast enough to make your head spin.

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Watch Out Inverse ETF and ETN United States and International Investors!

The SEC and FINRA are finally stepping up to regulate nontraditional ETFs and ETNs and to ensure that these complicated products are not sold to unsophisticated investors. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Morgan Stanley, UBS Financial Services Inc. and Wells Fargo agreed to pay $9.1 million to settle allegations that they sold leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds to clients who had no business investing in the complex instruments.

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Watch Out Florida Fixed Income Investors—Exchange Traded Notes Are Dangerous!

Investor advocates are saying that more should be done to protect retail investors in Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs). There is growing concern that with the rising popularity of ETNs, investors and financial advisers are getting into these products without fully understanding them or the risks involved. ETN’s are bank-issued debt securities. They were first brought to market six years ago to allow sophisticated investors to place bets on different parts of the market. Recently, however, retail investors have also started trading ETNs to gain access to certain market segments, such as those involving gold, silver, or natural gas. ETN offerings have grown in number over the past few years, with 212 ETNs now found on exchanges.

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Recover Your UBS ETRAC Investment Losses!

The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. is currently investigating and representing investors against UBS Financial Services, Inc. and other FINRA-registered brokerage firms and financial advisors who offered and sold UBS ETRAC Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs). If you were unaware of the risks of these investments when you bought them, you certainly know now, unfortunately, because you have probably lost most if not all of the money you invested. The fact is your stockbroker or financial advisor had a duty to explain the nature, mechanics, and all of the risks associated with UBS ETRAC Exchange Traded Notes before you were sold the investment.  Further, your stockbroker had a duty to make sure the investments were suitable before they were recommended in light of your risk tolerance, financial objectives, and financial condition. Unfortunately, many stockbrokers and financial advisors who didn’t understand the nature or risks involved sold these investments to investors with conservative and moderate risk tolerance who were simply seeking to enhance their income for retirement. These ETNs were unsuitable investments for investors with that kind of profile. The UBS ETRAC Exchange Traded Notes, particularly the ETNs with a 2X in the name were leveraged 2:1, were very high-risk, speculative investments.

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Did Former Kalos Capital Broker Darren Michael Kubiak Sell You Any GPB Fund?

Let Us Help You Recover Your GPB Investment Losses! Darren Michael Kubiak was recently registered as a stockbroker with Kalos Capital, LLC until he was suspended and fined by FINRA for allegedly making unsuitable investment recommendations and misrepresenting the risk of certain investments. He remains employed by Kubiak Financial Services in Lawrenceville, Georgia.   During Mr. Kubiak’s securities industry career as a salesperson he has been the subject of one FINRA regulatory complaint and four customer disputes which are pending.  We believe that at least one of these complaints relate to Mr. Kubiak’s  private offer and sale of GPB Capital Holdings sponsored limited partnership interests. We are attorneys offering to help GPB investors who made private placement investments in the following limited partnerships offered and sold by Darren Michael Kubiak during his employment with Kalos Capital; that is, help them to rescind their GPB investment and/or recover their GPB investment losses: GPB Automotive Portfolio, LP GPB Cold Storage LP GPB Holdings, LP GPB Holdings II, LP GPB Holdings III, LP GPB Holdings Qualified, LP GPB NYC Development, LP GPB Waste Management Fund, LP

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Did Matthew Crafa of Gateway Investments and Royal Alliance Sell You Any GPB Fund?

Let Us Help You Recover Your GPB Investment Losses! Matthew Crafa is currently employed by Gateway Investments and registered as a stockbroker with Royal Alliance Associates in Garden City, New York.  On information and belief, the same Matthew Crafa maintains a residence in Boca Raton, Florida. During Mr. Crafa’s securities industry career as a salesperson he has been the subject of three customer complaints. We believe all three of these complaints relate to Mr. Crafa’s private offer and sale of GPB Capital Holdings sponsored limited partnership interests. Those matters still appear to be pending. We are attorneys offering to help GPB investors who made private placement investments in the following limited partnerships offered and sold by Mr. Crafa during his employment with Gateway Investments and Royal Alliance; that is, help them to rescind their GPB investment and/or recover their GPB investment losses: GPB Automotive Portfolio, LP GPB Cold Storage LP GPB Holdings, LP GPB Holdings II, LP GPB Holdings III, LP GPB Holdings Qualified, LP GPB NYC Development, LP GPB Waste Management Fund, LP

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Did Former Kalos Capital Broker Christopher Shaw Sell You Any GPB Fund?

Let Us Help You Recover Your GPB Investment Losses! Christopher Shaw is currently employed by Pruco Securities in Belmont, North Carolina. However, during the period 2011 through 2019, he was employed with Kalos Capital, Inc. in the same city in North Carolina. During Mr. Shaw’s securities industry career as a salesperson, he has been the subject of three customer complaints. All three of those complaints arose in connection with his employment with Kalos Capital. We believe one or more of these complaints relate to Mr. Shaw’s private offer and sale of GPB Capital Holdings sponsored limited partnership interests. All of those matters still appear to be pending. We are attorneys offering to help GPB  investors who made private placement investments in the following limited partnerships that may have been offered and sold by Mr.  Shaw during his employment with Kalos Capital; that is, help them to rescind their GPB investment and/or recover their GPB investment losses: GPB Automotive Portfolio, LP GPB Cold Storage LP GPB Holdings, LP GPB Holdings II, LP GPB Holdings III, LP GPB Holdings Qualified, LP GPB NYC Development, LP GPB Waste Management Fund, LP

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Did Former Kalos Capital Broker Arni Jay Diamond Sell You Any GPB Funds?

Let Us Help You Recover Your GPB Investment Losses! Arni Jay Diamond is currently employed by Dempsey Lord Smith, LLC in Rome, Georgia. During the period July 2013 through September 2018 he was registered with Kalos Capital, Inc. and prior thereto from March 2008 through July 2013 he was registered with Berthel Fisher & Company Financial Services, Inc. During Mr. Diamond’s securities industry career as a salesperson he has been the subject of four (4) customer complaints and filed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. We believe one of the complaints while he was employed by Kalos Capital, Inc. relates to private offer and sale of GPB Capital Holdings sponsored limited partnership interests which is pending. We are attorneys offering to help GPB investors who made private placement investments in the following limited partnerships offered and sold by Arni Jay Diamond during his employment with Kalos Capital, Inc.; that is, help them to rescind their GPB investment and/or recover their GPB investment losses: GPB Automotive Portfolio, LP GPB Cold Storage LP GPB Holdings, LP GPB Holdings II, LP GPB Holdings III, LP GPB Holdings Qualified, LP GPB NYC Development, LP GPB Waste Management Fund, LP According to reliable sources, GPB Capital Holdings’ other funds also reported declines in an estimated value of 25% to 73%.

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Recover Your UBS Yield Enhancement Strategy (YES) Investment Losses!

Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. is investigating and representing investors nationwide that were sold investments in UBS Financial Services Yield Enhancement Strategy (YES) program.  UBS offered the high-risk YES program to customers whose net worth was at least $5 million.  UBS financial advisers across the United States presented the YES program as a safe way to earn additional income by using existing assets at UBS as collateral.  UBS further represented to its clients that the YES program had “excellent risk metrics” and would allow its clients to increase returns, while reducing risk.  Unfortunately, many UBS brokers failed to adequately understand and/or disclose the risks associated with this high-risk investment program. It also appears the UBS YES program was mismanaged.  UBS presented its YES program as using a “market neutral” options strategy, which means that it is not a directional wager that the price of the underlying asset will increase or decrease in value. The strategy instead seeks to profit from a relative lack of volatility in the price of the underlying asset.  Contrary to UBS’ presentation of the YES program, we believe the YES managers actively engaged in market timing and took directional positions on the market and suffered significant losses as a result.  We believe the UBS YES program was, in fact, an aggressive options strategy.  Consequently, YES posed a significant risk for investment portfolios, especially those that were over-concentrated in these securities.

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Recover Your Steepener Investment Losses!

Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. is investigating and representing investors nationwide that were sold steepeners, which are notes or CDs that pay varying levels of interest depending on the steepness or flatness of the yield curve.  When the yield curve flattened in 2018, these steepeners rapidly declined in value and either stopped paying interest or paid much less interest.  In 2019, the yield curve inverted and short term interest rates rose to a higher level than long term interest rates. This yield curve inversion caused even more losses. The negative impact on investors in the following types of structured products has been significant: Structured CDs, Market-Linked CDs, Leverage Callable CMS Curve Linked Notes, Callable Quarterly CMS Spread-Linked Notes, Callable Variable Rate Range Accrual CDs, Callable Interest Rate Spread CDs, Callable CMS Spread Notes, and Senior Callable CMS Steepener Notes.

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