Core Viewpoint - The First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY) offers investors exposure to mid-cap value stocks with a focus on companies that have a history of increasing dividends [1][5][6]. Fund Overview - SDVY was launched on November 1, 2017, and is managed by First Trust Advisors, accumulating over $8.73 billion in assets, making it one of the larger ETFs in its category [1][5]. - The ETF aims to match the performance of the NASDAQ US Small Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index, which includes 100 small and mid-cap companies known for raising dividends [5][6]. Cost and Expenses - The ETF has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.59%, which is considered high compared to other funds in the space [7]. - It offers a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.96% [7]. Sector Exposure and Holdings - The ETF has a significant allocation in the Industrials sector, comprising approximately 31.3% of the portfolio, followed by Financials and Consumer Discretionary [8]. - The top three holdings include Woodward, Inc. (1.11% of total assets), Comfort Systems USA, Inc., and Northern Trust Corporation, with the top 10 holdings accounting for about 10.12% of total assets [9]. Performance Metrics - As of August 14, 2025, SDVY has increased by approximately 6.47% year-to-date and 12.98% over the past year [11]. - The ETF has traded between $29.52 and $40.33 in the past 52 weeks and has a beta of 1.11 with a standard deviation of 21.35% over the trailing three-year period [11]. Alternatives - Other ETFs in the mid-cap value space include iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (IWS) and Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE), with IWS having $13.8 billion in assets and VOE $18.65 billion [12][13]. - IWS has a lower expense ratio of 0.23%, while VOE has an expense ratio of 0.07%, making them potentially more attractive options for cost-conscious investors [13].

Core Insights - The SPDR Portfolio S&P 600 Small Cap ETF (SPSM) is a passively managed ETF launched on July 8, 2013, designed to provide broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, with assets exceeding $12.31 billion [1] Investment Potential - Small cap companies, defined as those with market capitalizations below $2 billion, present high potential but also come with increased risk [2] - Blend ETFs typically hold a mix of growth and value stocks, exhibiting characteristics of both types of equities [2] Cost Structure - SPSM has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.03%, making it one of the least expensive options in its category [3] - The ETF offers a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.79% [3] Sector Allocation and Holdings - The ETF has a significant allocation to the Industrials sector, comprising approximately 19.9% of the portfolio, followed by Financials and Consumer Discretionary [4] - Mr Cooper Group Inc (COOP) represents about 0.7% of total assets, with the top 10 holdings accounting for roughly 5.81% of total assets under management [5] Performance Metrics - SPSM aims to match the performance of the Russell 2000 Index, with a year-to-date increase of approximately 2.18% and a one-year increase of about 7.88% as of August 14, 2025 [6] - The ETF has traded between $35.35 and $49.55 over the past 52 weeks [6] - It has a beta of 1.07 and a standard deviation of 21.67% over the trailing three-year period, indicating effective diversification with around 610 holdings [7] Competitive Landscape - SPSM holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating strong expected returns based on various factors [8] - Other comparable ETFs include the Vanguard Small-Cap ETF (VB) with $65.67 billion in assets and an expense ratio of 0.05%, and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) with $84.61 billion in assets and an expense ratio of 0.06% [9] Market Trends - There is a growing trend among retail and institutional investors towards passively managed ETFs due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency, making them suitable for long-term investment strategies [10]

Core Viewpoint - Bridgewater Associates, one of the largest hedge funds globally, significantly increased its investments in major U.S. tech companies during the second quarter of this year, particularly in Nvidia, which is now its third-largest holding [1][3]. Summary by Sections Investment Increases - Bridgewater raised its stake in Nvidia by nearly 4.39 million shares, bringing its total to 7.23 million shares, a 154% increase from the previous quarter, making up 4.61% of its total portfolio [3][7]. - Microsoft saw a 111.9% increase in shares, with an additional 905,620 shares added, totaling 1.72 million shares, now representing 3.44% of the portfolio [3][7]. - Alphabet was increased by approximately 2.56 million shares, totaling 5.60 million shares, an 84.1% rise, now accounting for 3.98% of the portfolio [3][7]. - Meta's shares increased by over 38,146 shares to 807,073 shares, marking an 89.6% increase, now 2.40% of the portfolio [4][7]. - Uber's shares surged by 314,000, a 531% increase, now making up 1.41% of the portfolio [5][7]. - Johnson & Johnson's shares increased by over 199,000, a 667.8% rise, now 1.41% of the portfolio [6][7]. Investment Reductions - Bridgewater reduced its Amazon holdings by approximately 795,500 shares, a 6% decrease, now 1.10% of the portfolio [8][9]. - AMD shares were reduced by about 408,860 shares, a decrease of 18.89% [11]. - PayPal saw a reduction of nearly 447,790 shares, a drop of over 12% [10]. - The fund completely exited its positions in Alibaba, Baidu, and JD.com, which were previously increased in the first quarter [12][13]. New Investments - Bridgewater initiated a position in Arm with nearly 474,000 shares, representing 0.31% of the total portfolio [14]. - New positions were also taken in Intuit, EQT, Lyft, and Ulta Beauty, with each holding a small percentage of the overall portfolio [14]. Major Holdings - The SPDR S&P 500 ETF remains Bridgewater's largest holding, despite a reduction of 731,882 shares, now accounting for 6.51% of the portfolio [15][18]. - The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF increased by nearly 6.2% to approximately 2.31 million shares, now 5.78% of the portfolio [17][18]. - The second to tenth largest holdings include Nvidia, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, Salesforce, Booking Holdings, and GE Vernova, with various changes in share counts and percentages [17][18].

Group 1 - High-net-worth investors are actively entering the market, with significant inflows from private equity, leveraged funds, and speculative trading [1][11][14] - Private equity has seen a notable increase in institutional account openings, while individual account growth remains limited [14] - Leveraged funds have averaged daily inflows of 5.5 billion since July, with the current financing balance exceeding 2 trillion, a record high since 2015 [14][16] - Speculative trading has become active, with net inflows ranking just below the levels seen in 2015 [14][16] Group 2 - Resident funds have not significantly entered the market through public funds, with limited expansion in actively managed equity fund issuance and net subscriptions [2][18] - The issuance of actively managed equity funds remains at historical lows since the market shift in September 2022 [18] - Passive index funds are experiencing outflows, contrasting with the previous market conditions where funds flowed into equity ETFs [19][21] Group 3 - Retail investor participation is low, with current engagement levels not matching those of previous bull markets [3][27] - Retail fund inflows are limited, significantly weaker than the previous market conditions in September 2022 and February 2023 [27] - Recent data indicates a marginal decline in the balance of bank-to-securities transfers, suggesting that retail investors have not significantly entered the market [27][28] Group 4 - There is a growing trend of residents seeking higher returns through bank wealth management products due to excess savings and declining deposit rates [4][12][33] - The one-year fixed deposit rate has fallen below 1%, and the yield on popular wealth management products is only 1.05%, prompting a shift towards wealth management and fixed-income funds [4][33][34] - The combination of abundant funds and a scarcity of attractive assets is expected to accelerate the flow of resident funds into wealth management products, indirectly entering the equity market [4][12][34] Group 5 - Recent data shows a net outflow of 8.591 billion from foreign investments, particularly in financial, non-essential consumer goods, and industrial sectors [37][38] - Speculative trading saw a net inflow of 4.831 billion, primarily into the pharmaceutical, electronics, and machinery sectors [43][46] - Leveraged funds recorded a net inflow of 31.563 billion, focusing on electronics, machinery, and pharmaceuticals [48][53]

A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Franklin U.S. Large Cap Multifactor Index ETF (FLQL) debuted on 04/26/2017, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market. What Are Smart Beta ETFs? Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry. Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of ...

Core Insights - The Invesco Dorsey Wright Technology Momentum ETF (PTF) is a passively managed ETF launched on October 12, 2006, designed for long-term investors seeking broad exposure to the Technology - Broad segment of the equity market [1][10] - PTF has amassed assets over $368.03 million and aims to match the performance of the DWA Technology Technical Leaders Index [3][4] - The ETF has an annual operating expense of 0.6% and a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.22% [5] Sector and Holdings - PTF primarily invests in the Information Technology sector, which constitutes about 85.2% of its portfolio, with Telecom and Financials following [6] - The top three holdings include Cadence Design Systems Inc (5.09%), Palantir Technologies Inc, and Broadcom Inc, with the top 10 holdings accounting for approximately 37.8% of total assets [7] Performance Metrics - Year-to-date, PTF has lost about 4.55% but is up roughly 21.96% over the last 12 months as of August 13, 2025 [8] - The ETF has a beta of 1.43 and a standard deviation of 31.5% for the trailing three-year period, indicating high risk [8] Alternatives - Other ETFs in the technology space include the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) with $85.64 billion in assets and an expense ratio of 0.08%, and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) with $100.82 billion in assets and an expense ratio of 0.09% [11]

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way. If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies. Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market, the Franklin U.S. Low Volatility High Dividen ...

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF (MDY) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on May 4, 1995. The fund is sponsored by State Street Investment Management. It has amassed assets over $23.09 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market. Why Mid Cap Blend Mid cap companies, with market capitalization in the range of $2 billi ...

Core Insights - The JPMorgan BetaBuilders U.S. Mid Cap Equity ETF (BBMC) is a passively managed ETF launched on April 14, 2020, with assets exceeding $1.89 billion, targeting the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market [1][2] Mid Cap Blend Overview - Mid cap companies have market capitalizations between $2 billion and $10 billion, offering higher growth prospects than large cap companies while being less volatile than small cap companies, making them a stable investment option [2] Cost Structure - The ETF has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.07%, positioning it as one of the lower-cost options in the market, with a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.27% [3] Sector Exposure and Holdings - The ETF's largest allocation is to the Industrials sector at approximately 21.5%, followed by Financials and Consumer Discretionary [4] - The top holding is Jpmorgan Us Govt Mmkt Fun at about 1.21% of total assets, with the top 10 holdings comprising around 6.01% of total assets under management [5] Performance Metrics - BBMC aims to match the performance of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Target Market Exposure Extended Index, having gained about 5.4% year-to-date and approximately 17.63% over the past year as of August 13, 2025 [6] - The ETF has a beta of 1.10 and a standard deviation of 20.05% over the trailing three-year period, indicating effective diversification with around 565 holdings [7] Alternatives in the Market - Other ETFs in the Mid Cap Blend space include the Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO) with $86.13 billion in assets and an expense ratio of 0.04%, and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) with $97.30 billion in assets and an expense ratio of 0.05% [9] Investment Trends - There is a growing trend among retail and institutional investors towards passively managed ETFs due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency, making them suitable for long-term investment strategies [10]

Core Viewpoint - The SPDR Gold Trust's holdings remain stable at 964.22 tons of gold as of August 12, 2025, amidst fluctuating gold prices influenced by U.S. inflation data [5]. Group 1: Gold ETF Holdings - As of August 12, 2025, the SPDR Gold Trust holds 964.22 tons of gold, unchanged from the previous trading day [5]. - The report indicates that the gold ETF's total holdings have not experienced any significant changes recently [5]. Group 2: Gold Price Movements - On August 12, 2025, spot gold prices fluctuated within a range of approximately $30, peaking at $3,358.29 per ounce and dipping to $3,330.81 per ounce, closing at $3,348.07 per ounce, reflecting a slight increase of $5.48 or 0.16% [5]. - Following a significant drop in the previous trading day, gold prices stabilized around $3,350 per ounce during Asian and European market hours [5]. Group 3: U.S. Inflation Data Impact - The U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July showed a year-over-year increase below expectations, with core CPI rising by 3.1%, marking the highest level since February [5]. - The core CPI's month-over-month increase of 0.3% is the largest since January, leading to increased speculation about a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve in September [5][6]. - Analysts caution that the higher-than-expected core CPI may complicate the Fed's decision-making regarding rate cuts, with further insights expected from the upcoming Jackson Hole symposium [5][6]. Group 4: Market Sentiment and Technical Analysis - Market sentiment is leaning towards a consensus for a September rate cut, but upcoming CPI and non-farm payroll reports will be closely monitored [6]. - Technical analysis indicates a lack of clear direction for gold prices, with the 14-day RSI hovering around 50, suggesting potential downward movement [6]. - If gold prices decline further, short-term targets include the 100-day simple moving average around $3,297, with subsequent support levels at $3,268 and $3,250 [6].