Launched on 05/08/2007, the First Trust Financials AlphaDEX ETF (FXO) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Financials ETFs category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market return ...

A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Schwab Fundamental International Equity ETF (FNDF) debuted on 08/13/2013, and offers broad exposure to the Foreign Large Value ETF category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They pr ...

Core Insights - The WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity ETF (HEDJ) debuted on January 4, 2010, and provides broad exposure to the European Equity ETFs market [1] - HEDJ is designed to neutralize exposure to fluctuations between the Euro and the U.S. dollar while tracking the WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Index [5] Fund Overview - HEDJ is managed by WisdomTree and has accumulated over $1.81 billion in assets, making it one of the larger ETFs in the European Equity category [5] - The fund has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.58% and a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.26% [6] Performance Metrics - As of August 19, 2025, HEDJ has gained approximately 16.55% year-to-date and 17.13% over the past year, with a trading range between $41.90 and $50.31 in the last 52 weeks [9] - The fund has a beta of 0.79 and a standard deviation of 16.06% over the trailing three-year period, indicating medium risk [10] Holdings and Sector Exposure - The fund's top 10 holdings account for about 134.89% of its total assets under management, with the U.S. dollar representing approximately 88.27% of total assets [7][8] - HEDJ offers diversified exposure, effectively minimizing single stock risk with around 135 holdings [10] Alternatives - Other ETFs in the European Equity space include iShares MSCI Eurozone ETF (EZU) with $7.99 billion in assets and Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK) with $26.93 billion [12] - EZU has an expense ratio of 0.51% while VGK charges 0.06%, presenting lower-cost options for investors [12]

Group 1: Core Insights - The iShares International Small-Cap Equity Factor ETF (ISCF) debuted on April 28, 2015, providing broad exposure to the Foreign Small/Mid Blend ETF category [1] - The fund is managed by Blackrock and has accumulated over $441.4 million in assets, positioning it as an average-sized ETF in its category [5] - The fund aims to match the performance of the MSCI World exUSA Small Cap Diversified Multiple-Factor Index [5] Group 2: Fund Characteristics - The annual operating expenses for ISCF are 0.23%, making it one of the cheaper options in the market [7] - The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.94% [7] - The top 10 holdings account for approximately 5.56% of total assets under management, with Banco De Sabadell Sa being the largest holding at 0.83% [8][9] Group 3: Performance Metrics - As of August 19, 2025, ISCF has gained about 26.71% year-to-date and approximately 25.28% over the last year [10] - The fund has traded between $30.25 and $40.15 during the past 52 weeks [10] - ISCF has a beta of 0.82 and a standard deviation of 16.30% over the trailing three-year period, indicating a medium risk profile [11] Group 4: Alternatives and Market Context - ISCF is a viable option for investors looking to outperform the Foreign Small/Mid Blend ETF segment, but there are alternative ETFs available [12] - Other ETFs in the space include SPDR S&P International Small Cap ETF (GWX) with $758.52 million in assets and Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF (SCHC) with $4.75 billion [13] - GWX has an expense ratio of 0.40%, while SCHC has a lower expense ratio of 0.08% [13]

Core Insights - The iShares U.S. Small-Cap Equity Factor ETF (SMLF) is designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend category and was launched on April 28, 2015 [1] - The fund is managed by Blackrock and has accumulated over $2.01 billion in assets, making it one of the larger ETFs in its category [5] - The fund seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Small Cap Diversified Multiple-Factor Index before fees and expenses [5] Fund Characteristics - SMLF has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.15%, making it one of the cheaper options in the smart beta ETF space [6] - The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.32% [6] - The ETF has a beta of 1.07 and a standard deviation of 20.90% over the trailing three-year period, indicating a higher risk profile [10] Sector Exposure and Holdings - The ETF has the largest allocation in the Industrials sector at approximately 18.9%, followed by Financials and Consumer Discretionary [7] - Emcor Group Inc (EME) accounts for about 1.04% of the fund's total assets, with Carvana Class A (CVNA) and Jabil Inc (JBL) also among the top holdings [8] Performance Metrics - Year-to-date, SMLF has returned approximately 5.84%, and it is up about 13.29% over the last 12 months as of August 19, 2025 [9] - The fund has traded between $54.28 and $74.15 in the past 52 weeks [9] Alternatives - Other ETFs in the small-cap space include Vanguard Small-Cap ETF (VB) and iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR), which have larger asset bases of $64.84 billion and $82.91 billion respectively [12] - VB has a lower expense ratio of 0.05%, while IJR has an expense ratio of 0.06% [12]

A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Invesco S&P 500 Pure Growth ETF (RPG) debuted on 03/01/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating ...

The First Trust Dow 30 Equal Weight ETF (EDOW) was launched on 08/08/2017, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market effic ...

Core Insights - The First Trust Capital Strength ETF (FTCS) offers investors exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category and has amassed over $8.42 billion in assets, making it one of the largest ETFs in this segment [1][5]. Investment Strategy - Smart beta ETFs, like FTCS, are designed to outperform traditional market capitalization weighted indexes by selecting stocks based on specific fundamental characteristics [2][3]. - FTCS tracks the Capital Strength Index, which is an equal-dollar weighted index focusing on well-capitalized companies with strong financial metrics [6]. Cost and Performance - FTCS has an annual operating expense of 0.52% and a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.21%, which is competitive within its peer group [7]. - The ETF has shown a performance increase of approximately 5.18% year-to-date and 8.12% over the past year, with a trading range between $81.60 and $94.03 in the last 52 weeks [11]. Sector Exposure and Holdings - The ETF's largest sector allocation is in Industrials at 23.6%, followed by Financials and Consumer Staples [8]. - Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is the largest individual holding at 2.54% of total assets, with the top 10 holdings comprising about 22.99% of total assets under management [9]. Risk Profile - FTCS has a beta of 0.79 and a standard deviation of 12.87% over the trailing three-year period, indicating a medium risk profile with effective diversification across 51 holdings [11].

Making its debut on 06/13/2007, smart beta exchange traded fund Invesco Global Water ETF (PIO) provides investors broad exposure to the Industrials ETFs category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low- ...

Core Insights - The iShares U.S. Equity Factor ETF (LRGF) is a smart beta ETF launched on April 28, 2015, providing broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category [1] - LRGF is managed by Blackrock and has accumulated over $2.69 billion in assets, making it one of the largest ETFs in its category [5] - The fund aims to match the performance of the MSCI USA Diversified Multiple-Factor Index, focusing on U.S. large and mid-cap stocks with favorable exposure to target style factors [5] Fund Characteristics - LRGF has an annual operating expense of 0.08%, positioning it as one of the least expensive options in the ETF space [6] - The fund's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.18% [6] - The ETF has a significant allocation in the Information Technology sector, comprising about 34.5% of the portfolio, followed by Financials and Consumer Discretionary [7] Holdings and Performance - Nvidia Corp (NVDA) is the largest holding, accounting for approximately 6.85% of total assets, with Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Apple Inc (AAPL) also among the top holdings [8] - The top 10 holdings represent about 32.73% of LRGF's total assets under management [8] - As of August 5, 2025, LRGF has returned roughly 9.13% year-to-date and approximately 21.66% over the past year, with a trading range between $51.37 and $66.01 in the last 52 weeks [10] Risk Profile - LRGF has a beta of 0.96 and a standard deviation of 17.10% over the trailing three-year period, indicating a medium risk profile [10] - The fund consists of about 289 holdings, effectively diversifying company-specific risk [10] Alternatives - Other ETFs in the same space include Fidelity High Dividend ETF (FDVV) and iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF (IUSV), with FDVV having $6.17 billion in assets and IUSV at $21 billion [12] - FDVV has an expense ratio of 0.16%, while IUSV has a lower expense ratio of 0.04% [12]