Retail investors should be aware of the applicable fiscal regime since taxes impact on the gain that the investor draws from the investment made.

(2) Agreements providing for investment protection typically include an investor-to-state dispute settlement mechanism, which allows an investor from a third country to bring a claim against a state in which it has made an investment.

Variance swaps: Variance swaps are contracts that allow investors to gain exposure to the variance (squared volatility) of an underlying asset and, in particular, to trade future realised (or historical) volatility against current implied volatility.

33. Recognises the benefits which Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) provide by giving retail investors access to a wider range of assets (such as commodities, in particular), but stresses the risks ETF carry in terms of complexity, counterparty risk, liquidity of products and possible regulatory arbitrage; warns of the risks associated with synthetic ETFs owing to their increasing opacity and complexity, in particular when synthetic ETFs are marketed to retail investors; invites the Commission, therefore, to assess and tackle these potential structural vulnerabilities in the ongoing UCITS VI review, taking into account different customer ca ...[+++]tegories (e.g. retail investors, professional investors, institutional investors) and their different risk profiles;

33. Recognises the benefits which Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) provide by giving retail investors access to a wider range of assets (such as commodities, in particular), but stresses the risks ETF carry in terms of complexity, counterparty risk, liquidity of products and possible regulatory arbitrage; warns of the risks associated with synthetic ETFs owing to their increasing opacity and complexity, in particular when synthetic ETFs are marketed to retail investors; invites the Commission, therefore, to assess and tackle these potential structural vulnerabilities in the ongoing UCITS VI review, taking into account different customer ca ...[+++]tegories (e.g. retail investors, professional investors, institutional investors) and their different risk profiles;

In exercising its implementing powers, the Commission should respect the following principles: the need to ensure confidence in financial markets among investors by promoting high standards of transparency in those markets; the need to provide investors with a wide range of competing investments and a level of disclosure and protection tailored to their circumstances; the need to ensure that independent regulatory authorities enforce the rules consistently, especially as regards the fight against economic crime; the need for high levels of transparency and consultation with all market participants and with the European Parliament and ...[+++]the Council; the need to encourage innovation in financial markets if they are to be dynamic and efficient; the need to ensure market integrity by close and reactive monitoring of financial innovation; the importance of reducing the cost of, and increasing access to, capital; the balance of costs and benefits to market participants on a long-term basis (including small and medium-sized businesses and small investors) in any implementing measures; the need to foster the international competitiveness of EU financial markets without prejudice to a much-needed extension of international cooperation; the need to achieve a level playing field for all market participants by establishing EU-wide regulations every time it is appropriate; the need to respect differences in national markets where these do not unduly impinge on the cohesion of the single market; and the need to ensure coherence with other Community legislation in this area, as imbalances in information and a lack of transparency may jeopardise the operation of the markets and above all harm consumers and small investors.