Don Dion's Weekly ETF Blog Wrap

PPLT's launch couldn't have been more perfectly timed -- a result of good luck and market conditions. ETF Securities filed for PPLT and the accompanying ETFS Physical Palladium Shares(PALL) back in early 2009, first introducing the idea of a physically-backed platinum product to U.S. investors.

Already familiar with products like GLD and iShares Silver(SLV), ETF investors were ready to embrace a new way to access an extraordinarily expensive asset. Having already introduced two successful physically backed products into the U.S marketplace to compete with already-entrenched competitors, ETF Securities was ready to make its name as a first-mover in the platinum space.

As a new participant in the U.S. ETF marketplace, ETF Securities had to rely on strategy -- rather than notoriety -- when introducing PALL and PPLT. They stepped into a gap in the ETF industry and presented a new investment vehicle to an equity-wary investor pool.

In his article about the process of Oscar campaigning, Harris notes "there is no war room, per se, but there are early front-runners that fade, grassroots insurgencies, even primaries. Ultimately, most of the nominees emerge from a combination of good planning, good movies, and good luck."

PPLT has been able to capitalize on a booming segment of the ETF industry, an exciting new strategy, and a moment in market history.

While other ETFs will ultimately enter the exchange-traded space in 2010 and compete for the attention of investors, PPLT has already made its mark and this product won't be easily forgotten in the months ahead.

-- Written by Don Dion in Williamstown, Mass.

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