ETFs focused on consumer staples, utilities, low volatility, and high-quality metrics should bounce back, says one strategist. ...

$STRC is engineered for high yield (11.5%), low volatility (1.7%), an exceptional Sharpe ratio (4.60), and deep daily liquidity ($209M). Track these metrics daily at https://t.co/zwmL0kN9by. https://t.co/bsuz1rUARR ...

Dividend exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are finally making a comeback in 2026 and it can't come quick enough for some. After a comparatively strong 2022, which saw some dividend ETFs outperform the S&P 500 by 10% or more, it's been mostly misery ever since. The WisdomTree U.S. Total Dividend ETF, which I like to use as a pseudo-proxy for the entire dividend stock universe, was up 50% total from 2023 to 2025, well behind the 86% return for the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF over the same period. Will AI create the wo ...

Core Viewpoint - The State Street SPDR U.S. Large Cap Low Volatility Index ETF (LGLV) is highlighted as a suitable investment option during periods of market volatility, providing lower risk exposure to large-cap stocks while maintaining equity market participation [1][2]. Group 1: Fund Overview - LGLV is designed to offer exposure to the least volatile stocks among the largest U.S. companies, making it a simple and low-cost option for investors seeking to mitigate risk [1]. - The fund has a historical annualized return of 12.4% over the last ten years, appealing to defensively minded investors [2]. Group 2: Market Context - Recent geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East, have contributed to market sell-offs, prompting investors to consider lower volatility strategies [1]. - The fund has performed well in turbulent market conditions, showing a notable increase of approximately 7% year-to-date, contrasting with the flat performance of broader market indices [1][2]. Group 3: Performance Analysis - LGLV has demonstrated resilience during market downturns, performing better than many peers in years of market stress, such as 2018 and 2022 [2]. - The fund's performance metrics indicate it may lag during strong bull markets but excels in providing defensive equity exposure during volatile periods [2].

Core Insights - The Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (SPHD) is designed for investors seeking dividends and low volatility, raising questions about its effectiveness in delivering competitive dividends and lower volatility [1] Group 1: ETF Overview - SPHD targets investors looking for a combination of high dividends and reduced volatility, making it a potential option for conservative investors [1] - The ETF is actively managed, indicating a focus on strategic asset allocation to achieve its objectives [1] Group 2: Analysis and Research - Financial Serenity, a column focused on asset management, aims to provide in-depth analysis of market dynamics, combining data analysis with actionable insights [1] - The initiative is led by Tommaso Scarpellini, a seasoned financial researcher, emphasizing the importance of rigorous data analysis in investment decision-making [1]

Core Viewpoint - The iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF (ACWV) provides a solution for investors looking to stay invested in global equities while minimizing exposure to volatility, especially during turbulent market conditions [2]. Group 1: Fund Design and Strategy - ACWV tracks the MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility Index, utilizing mathematical optimization to select and weight stocks, aiming to minimize portfolio variance [3]. - The fund is globally diversified, focusing on stable, cash-generative sectors such as utilities, healthcare, consumer staples, and large-cap telecom [3]. - Investors in ACWV accept lower upside potential in strong bull markets in exchange for reduced drawdowns during market selloffs, with a low annual expense ratio of 0.20% [3]. Group 2: Performance Analysis - Over the past year, ACWV returned 10.54%, significantly trailing the iShares MSCI ACWI ETF's return of 21.21%, reflecting the cost of its defensive positioning during a period dominated by high-beta growth stocks [4]. - Over a five-year period, ACWV's cumulative return was 43.15%, compared to ACWI's 68.24%, indicating that sustained bull markets penalize low-volatility strategies [5]. Group 3: Stress Period Performance - ACWV is designed to perform well during periods of market stress, as evidenced by its construction that cushions against extreme market panic, such as when the VIX spiked to 52.33 in April 2025 [6]. - Investors using ACWV as a defensive anchor during market turmoil likely experienced smaller drawdowns compared to those holding cap-weighted global funds [6]. Group 4: Trade-offs and Limitations - A significant trade-off for ACWV is its capped upside potential, as the optimization process underweights high-momentum, high-beta stocks, with Apple and Nvidia representing less than 0.4% of the portfolio [7]. - This structural tilt away from major winners results in a persistent performance drag relative to cap-weighted benchmarks [7]. - ACWV's dividend yield of 1.76% is notably lower than the 10-year Treasury yield of 4.08% [8].

Group 1 - The THOR Equal Weight Low Volatility ETF (THLV) has reached a 52-week high and is up 28.4% from its 52-week low price of $25.26 per share [1] - The fund provides exposure to U.S. large-cap equities while aiming to reduce volatility by avoiding sectors currently in a down-trending cycle, with annual fees of 64 basis points [2] - THLV has benefited from equal-weight allocations to materials and health care, which tend to outperform during market volatility, allowing it to capture market upside while maintaining a low-volatility posture [3] Group 2 - The fund may continue its strong performance in the near term, indicated by a positive weighted alpha of 20.41, suggesting potential for further gains [4]

Group 1: PICTON Investments Fund - PICTON Investments has launched an open-ended fund focusing on "trophy asset" general partner-led secondary investments, targeting mature, high-quality companies with significant value-creation potential [1] - The fund aims to capture private equity alpha through underwriting discipline, asset quality, and manager selectivity, rather than broad market exposure [1] - Morningside Capital Inc. will lead the sourcing and underwriting of private equity investments for the fund, while PICTON Investments will manage its liquid investments [1] Group 2: CI Global Asset Management Funds - CI Global Asset Management has introduced two new asset-allocation funds that include exposure to non-traditional assets such as gold and bitcoin [2][3] - The CI Balanced+ Asset Allocation ETF Fund allocates approximately 57% to equity securities, 38% to fixed-income securities, and 5% to other assets, with a target allocation of 2.5% each in gold and bitcoin [4] - The CI Equity+ Asset Allocation ETF Fund features an allocation of roughly 92% to equity securities and 8% to other assets, with a target allocation of 4% each in gold and bitcoin [5] Group 3: Sun Life Global Investments Funds - Sun Life Global Investments has launched ETF series for two existing mutual funds, now available on the TSX under the ticker symbols SBLG and SBLI [7] - The funds were renamed to better reflect the proprietary blended research approach used by their sub-advisor, MFS Investment Management [8] Group 4: First Trust Nuclear Power ETF - First Trust Canada has launched the First Trust Bloomberg Nuclear Power ETF, which began trading on January 19, with a management fee of 0.85% [10] - The fund aims to replicate the performance of the Bloomberg Nuclear Power Index and invests in companies involved in nuclear energy production [11][12] - Its top five holdings include Cameco Corp., Doosan Enerbility Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., BHP Group Limited, and BWX Technologies, Inc. [13] Group 5: J.P. Morgan Asset Management Fund - J.P. Morgan Asset Management Canada has launched the JPMorgan International Developed Equity Active ETF, which began trading on January 28 [14] - The fund targets long-term capital growth by investing in large- and mid-cap stocks in foreign developed markets, with a management fee of 0.55% [15] Group 6: PIMCO Managed Balanced Portfolio - PIMCO Canada Corp. has launched the PIMCO Managed Balanced Portfolio, a diversified 60/40 asset-allocation fund [16] - The fund allocates 60% to passive global equity ETFs and 40% to actively managed fixed-income funds [16][17] Group 7: Fidelity Global Opportunities Fund - Fidelity Investments Canada ULC has launched the Fidelity Global Opportunities Long/Short Fund, which employs a long/short strategy to navigate various market conditions [18][19] Group 8: Proposed Mining Fund by Next Edge Capital - Next Edge Capital Corp. has filed a preliminary prospectus for a proposed CMP Next Edge 2026 Critical and Precious Metals Short Duration Flow-Through LP, focusing on flow-through shares of mining companies [20][21] Group 9: RBC Global Asset Management Fund Closure - RBC Global Asset Management Inc. plans to terminate the RBC QUBE Low Volatility Emerging Markets Equity Fund on or about March 30, 2026, due to limited growth potential [22][23] Group 10: Fund Changes by Multiple Firms - PICTON Investments will discontinue performance fees for three mutual funds effective January 30 [25] - SLGI Asset Management Inc. will change sub-advisors for two funds, with new names reflecting the change [26][27] - CIBC Asset Management Inc. will change the ticker symbol for one of its ETFs effective February 4 [28] - Invesco Canada Ltd. has changed the risk rating for one of its ETFs from medium to high [29] - BMO Asset Management Inc. has reduced management fees for select ETFs and updated risk ratings [30][31]

Core Viewpoint - A minimum volatility ETF, such as the iShares MSCI USA Minimum Volatility Factor ETF, can enhance risk-adjusted returns while maintaining growth opportunities in a stable economic environment [1][12]. Group 1: Market Conditions - Current market conditions are favorable, with steady economic growth, controlled inflation, and a booming artificial intelligence sector contributing to low volatility [1]. - Investors should be aware that market conditions can change, leading to potential portfolio losses and impulsive decision-making [2]. Group 2: Portfolio Strategy - To withstand market downturns, it is advisable to include defensive equity positions in portfolios, which can help mitigate volatility while preserving growth potential [3]. - The iShares MSCI USA Minimum Volatility Factor ETF tracks U.S. equities with lower volatility characteristics compared to the broader market [4]. Group 3: ETF Characteristics - The Minimum Volatility ETF optimizes a broad universe of large-cap and mid-cap U.S. stocks to achieve the lowest absolute volatility, rather than simply selecting low-volatility stocks [5]. - In contrast to the Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF, which focuses solely on below-average volatility stocks, the Minimum Volatility ETF can include higher individual volatility stocks if they contribute to overall lower portfolio volatility [7][10]. Group 4: Performance Metrics - The Minimum Volatility ETF has a 10-year portfolio beta of 0.93 and a standard deviation of returns of 12.23%, while the Low Volatility ETF has a beta of 1.0 and a standard deviation of 12.53% [11]. - Over the past decade, the Minimum Volatility ETF has outperformed the Low Volatility ETF by an average of 1.8% per year, demonstrating effective risk management at the portfolio level [12].

Core Viewpoint - The Invesco High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (SPHD) offers a 4.71% yield, significantly higher than the S&P 500, by investing in a concentrated portfolio of 50 U.S. stocks known for high dividend yields and low volatility [2][3]. Group 1: ETF Overview - SPHD has $3.1 billion in assets and a low expense ratio of 0.30%, focusing on defensive sectors such as utilities, REITs, healthcare, and consumer staples [2][8]. - The fund's income is derived from dividends paid by the underlying companies, making the sustainability of these payouts crucial for investors [2]. Group 2: Top Holdings Analysis - The top five holdings in SPHD account for approximately 14% of the portfolio, emphasizing established dividend payers across various sectors [4]. - Pfizer (PFE) yields 6.53% with a conservative payout ratio of 36.4% and has a history of 19 consecutive years of dividend increases, despite recent revenue declines in COVID-related products [5]. - Altria (MO) offers a 7.04% yield with a payout ratio of 77.9%, maintaining a 19-year dividend growth streak, although it faces long-term risks from declining tobacco volumes [6]. - Healthpeak Properties (DOC) has the highest yield at 7.14%, but it shows negative GAAP earnings; it should be evaluated based on funds from operations, which are projected to be between $1.78 and $1.84 per share [7].