Here is an excerpt from Gregory Davis’ Article…
Triple The Upside/Downside On Financials
The Direxion Financial Bull 3X Shares ETF (NYSE:FAS) is designed to return three times the performance of the Russell 1000 Financial Services Index (“Financial Index”). The underlying financial services index is a capital weighted index of financial service providers ranging from large capitalization banks, like Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) and Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), to insurance providers, like Aflac (NYSE:AFL) and Allstate (NYSE:ALL). True to form, the FAS ETF carried out its mission and posted a negative return in slight excess of 64% for year-to-date ended February 11, while the Russell 1000 Financial Services Index declined approximately 22% over the same period. (These funds seem simple, but more goes on behind the scenes. Read Dissecting Leveraged ETF Returns to learn more.)
How Does It Work?
The FAS ETF will invest a minimum of 80% of its net assets in long positions of the individual securities that make up the Financial Index. The fund also invests in financial instruments that provide leveraged and unleveraged exposure to the Financial Index, thus, creating the ability for returns of the underlying index to be tripled. The balance of the net assets are held in money market instruments.
Link: The Joys And Pains Of 3X Returns (FAS, FAZ, TYH), Gregory Davis, 2/17/09