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Virginia Tech

A Comprehensive Evaluation of Commodity ETF Tracking Divergence

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This paper investigates differences in returns between the ETF price, Net Asset Value, and Benchmark Asset Baskets for five popular futures-backed ETFs. We decompose tracking difference to examine the relative size of tracking differences attributable to managers versus the arbitrage process. Tracking differences attributable to managers is found to be significantly smaller than that attributable to the arbitrage process. We then test for average Tracking Differences using the Mincer-Zarnowitz Equation. We find evidence of bias in returns for multiple ETFs and demonstrate the usefulness of the decomposition. Furthermore, we investigate the dynamics of Tracking Error using a GARCH methodology. We find support that the volatility of the ETF effects Tracking Error but find no evidence that rolling futures contracts influences Tracking Error.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Department dc:contributor.department
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2021

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Hassman, Colburn Hastings
Chairs dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Isengildina Massa, Olga
  • Stewart, Shamar L.
Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Spicer, Cara Anne

Subjects

dc:subject × 4

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:30431
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/103596

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Hassman, Colburn Hastings. A Comprehensive Evaluation of Commodity ETF Tracking Divergence. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/103596