AdvisorShares, the Bethesda, Md.-based exchange-traded fund boutique firm known for its active strategies, filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission to launch an ETF that will take short-term positions aimed at profiting from companies facing difficulties.

AdvisorShares said in the filing it will cherry-pick securities that are associated with low earnings quality, and will pay attention to downward earnings revisions or reduced “forward guidance.” It also said it will look out for aggressive accounting that may be intended on the part of company management to mask operational deterioration and bolster the reported earnings per share over a short time period.

Among the investments the ETF might own are liquid U.S. exchange-traded equities, ETFs and other exchange-traded products.

On a day-to-day basis, the ETF may hold U.S. government securities; short-term, high-quality fixed-income securities; money market instruments; overnight and fixed-term repurchase agreements; as well as cash and cash equivalents with maturities of one year or less for collateral purposes, the filing said.

The company plans for the fund to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HDGE” according to the filing.