Barron's weighs in on Fidelity Investments ETF plans. The fund firm filed with the SEC in December and has kept mum since, but that has not stopped speculation about the Boston Behemoth's plans.

The paper concludes that "many observers believe the fund giant can compete" and points to the strong growth in Vanguard's as proof. It also points to Fidelity's brand and operations as strengths. Oh yes, there is also the 67 million accounts in its brokerage arm.

"Fidelity has the benefit of seeing how all its competitors have gone about gathering assets," Jim Lowell, editor of Fidelity Investor newsletter, explains to Barron's. "They've been able to study investor interest and figure out ways to address it."

The paper does not see a strong chance that the ETFs will get out the door soon. The "sizable backlog of ETF registrations could delay Fidelity's new fund launch up to a year." But then again, Fidelity has the resources to navigate that maze faster than others.

The funds, when they arrive, are likely to be flavors of the $40 billion Fidelity Select sector and industry funds. 

Edited by: Sean Hanna, Editor in Chief


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