Smart beta ETFs

A new survey published by FTSE Russell, one of the largest providers of indexes for use by issuers of exchange traded funds, indicates adoption of smart beta ETFs, those funds using weighting schemes beyond market capitalization, is reaching new heights. The index provider's sixth annual survey...

The Barron's 400 ETF (NYSE: BFOR), a smart beta spin on U.S. equities, recently added to its exposure in the energy and financial services while reducing its allocation to consumer discretionary stocks. BFOR seeks to add stocks sporting favorable growth at a reasonable price (GARP) traits. The...

PIMCO, one of the world's largest managers of fixed income assets, added to its lineup of exchange-traded funds Wednesday with the debuts of three equity-based smart beta funds, marking the first equity funds to join PIMCO's ETF stable. Each of three new PIMCO ETFs follow indexes from...

There may not be a cure for the summertime blues, but the exchange-traded funds industry is making things interesting with a spate of new product launches. Dispelling the notion that July is a slow, uneventful time on Wall Street, new ETF launches topped double digits last week. Many of these new...

WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (NASDAQ: WETF), one of the pioneers of smart beta exchange-traded funds, added to its already robust suite of fundamentally-weighted ETFs Thursday with the debut of the WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Fund (BATS: USMF). The new ETF tracks the WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor...

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, the asset management and exchange-traded funds arm of Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS), added to its lineup of ActiveBeta smart beta ETFs Thursday with the debut of a small-cap fund. The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (NYSE: GSCC) is the newest...

The blip recently experienced by some marquee internet and technology stocks appears to be just that. Last week, the Nasdaq-100 gained 2.2 percent and some exchange-traded funds dedicated to growth and momentum stocks remain high fliers. For example, the iShares Edge MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (...

First Trust, one of the largest issuers of smart beta exchange-traded funds, last week introduced six ETFs based on the Nasdaq Riskalyze indexes. Those benchmarks “are designed to provide diversified, value-added exposure to broad equity market categories. The indexes seek to outperform their...

Within the smart beta exchange-traded funds arena, multi-factor funds are one of the important growth frontiers. Competitors in the multi-factor ETF fray include not only traditional ETF providers, but some big Wall Street names, such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) and JPMorgan Chase &...

It is often said that the smart beta phenomenon has not earnestly made its way to the world of fixed-income exchange-traded funds. While that is true to an extent, there are some smart beta bond ETFs that have lengthy track records. Consider the PowerShares Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond...

It is often said that new exchange-traded funds struggle to attract an audience. Likewise, many industry observers are wondering the smart beta phenomenon will truly penetrate the fixed income space. The IQ Enhanced Core Plus Bond U.S. ETF (NYSE: AGGP) addresses both of those concerns. Now a year...

The universe of smart beta exchange-traded funds is getting bigger thanks to the addition of three new ETFs from Franklin Templeton. Franklin Templeton introduced four smart or strategic beta ETFs last year and the issuer also offers four actively managed ETFs, giving it an ETF lineup of 11. FLQL...

Value stocks often tempt investors because of, well, perceived value, but by the time many investors awaken to the advantages of the value factor, some of these stocks become expensive. Perhaps worse yet, some are legitimate value traps. A new exchange-traded fund takes a unique, smart beta...

There is always hope for new issuers of exchange-traded funds, but it also helps to have some brand power if a company is going to be late to the ETF revolution. Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) proves as much. New York-based Goldman launched the first of its ActiveBeta smart beta ETFs in late...

On the heels of the Federal Reserve's first interest rate hike of 2017 and third in 15 months, some fundamentally-weighted or smart beta exchange-traded funds are receiving increased attention, good and bad. For example, low volatility ETFs have recently been losing assets while ascending to...