FXY is known for its exposure to the Japanese yen (both long and short). The fund offers a simple strategy it holds Japanese yen in a deposit account. Still, it is worth noting that: 1) there's no deposit insurance on its holdings, so it carries credit risk of its depository, JPMorgan, and 2) distributions and share sales are always taxed at ordinary-income rate (as opposed to capital gains), regardless of holding period. In addition, FXY doesn't deliver the overnight lending rate like its benchmark, but with interest rates in Japan near 0% (or even lower), that's not much of a drawback. In fact, a 0% yield is a boon for those looking to short shares in the fund.
