Wall Street is experiencing a blockbuster year for mergers and acquisitions. So far, companies have announced 49 global transactions worth more than $10 billion each, according to Mergermarket, as quoted on Yahoo Finance. Such activities put focus on NYLI Merger Arbitrage ETF (MNA) . MNA is up about 8.6% so far this year.M&A value hit $3.39 trillion this year, although the deal count fell to an almost all-time low level. The above-said 49 megadeals were announced at a value of 986 billion — the highest reco ...

Group 1 - Major banks and lenders globally have shown strong performance, with Goldman Sachs achieving a record stock-trading revenue of $4.3 billion in Q2, Citigroup's net income rising 25% year-over-year, and JPMorgan Chase exceeding earnings expectations due to increased IPO and M&A activity [3] - Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking large bank equities have significantly outperformed broad market indices, with some funds up nearly 50% year-to-date, and this positive momentum is expected to continue into the next year [2][6] - European banks have particularly excelled this year, driven by strong loan demand and supportive policies in key markets like Germany, which have increased spending on infrastructure and defense [4] Group 2 - The iShares MSCI Europe Financials ETF (EUFN) has increased over 48% this year, attracting nearly $1.6 billion in inflows, marking its first outperformance against the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) in five years [6] - The Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF (GSIB) has risen approximately 45% with inflows of nearly $14 million, with European banks being the top contributors to year-to-date returns [6] - In contrast, regional banks have not performed as well, with the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) lagging behind the S&P 500 and experiencing outflows of nearly $1.2 billion this year [4]

Core Insights - The Invesco KBW Bank ETF (KBWB) is designed to provide broad exposure to the Financials - Banking segment, making it a suitable option for long-term investors and popular among institutional and retail investors due to its low costs and tax efficiency [1][2] Index Details - Sponsored by Invesco, KBWB has over $4.66 billion in assets, positioning it as one of the largest ETFs in the Financials - Banking segment [3] - The ETF aims to match the performance of the KBW Nasdaq Bank index, which reflects publicly-traded banks and thrifts in the US [3] Costs - The annual operating expense ratio for KBWB is 0.35%, making it one of the least expensive ETFs in its category [4] - It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.21% [4] Sector Exposure and Top Holdings - KBWB has a 100% allocation in the Financials sector, providing diversified exposure [5] - Goldman Sachs Group Inc accounts for approximately 8.42% of total assets, with the top 10 holdings making up about 59.88% of total assets [6] Performance and Risk - The ETF has gained about 12.5% year-to-date and 36.24% over the past year, with a trading range between $53.5 and $75.02 in the last 52 weeks [7] - It has a beta of 1.09 and a standard deviation of 27.13% over the trailing three-year period, indicating higher risk compared to peers [7] Alternatives - KBWB carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), suggesting it is a reasonable option for exposure to Financials ETFs [8] - Other alternatives include the First Trust NASDAQ Bank ETF (FTXO) and the SPDR S&P Bank ETF (KBE), with FTXO having $227.69 million in assets and KBE at $1.53 billion [9]

Core Insights - The First Trust NASDAQ Bank ETF (FTXO) is a smart beta ETF launched on September 20, 2016, providing broad exposure to the Financials ETFs category [1] Fund Overview - FTXO has accumulated over $237.9 million in assets, categorizing it as an average-sized ETF within the Financials sector [5] - Managed by First Trust Advisors, FTXO aims to match the performance of the Nasdaq US Smart Banks Index, which is a modified factor-weighted index focused on US banking companies [5] Cost Structure - The annual operating expenses for FTXO are 0.60%, which is comparable to most peer products in the space [6] - The ETF has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.00% [6] Sector Exposure and Holdings - FTXO has a complete allocation in the Financials sector, with approximately 100% of its portfolio dedicated to this area [7] - The largest holding is Jpmorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), comprising about 8.42% of total assets, followed by Citigroup Inc. (C) and Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) [8] - The top 10 holdings represent about 59.72% of total assets under management [8] Performance Metrics - As of July 25, 2025, FTXO has increased by approximately 10.05% year-to-date and 21.43% over the past year [9] - The ETF has traded between $25.92 and $35.28 in the past 52 weeks [9] - FTXO has a beta of 0.94 and a standard deviation of 27.41% over the trailing three-year period, indicating effective diversification of company-specific risk with about 51 holdings [10] Alternatives in the Market - Other ETFs in the Financials sector include SPDR S&P Bank ETF (KBE) and Invesco KBW Bank ETF (KBWB), with KBE having $1.58 billion in assets and KBWB having $4.86 billion [11] - Both KBE and KBWB have an expense ratio of 0.35% [11]

Core Insights - The First Trust NASDAQ Bank ETF (FTXO) provides broad exposure to the Financials - Banking segment and is passively managed, appealing to both retail and institutional investors due to its low costs and tax efficiency [1][3] Fund Overview - FTXO was launched on September 20, 2016, and has accumulated assets exceeding $239.54 million, positioning it as an average-sized ETF in its category [3] - The ETF aims to replicate the performance of the Nasdaq US Smart Banks Index, which focuses on US banking companies [3] Cost Structure - The annual operating expense ratio for FTXO is 0.60%, which is competitive within its peer group [4] - The ETF has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.99% [4] Sector Exposure and Holdings - FTXO is fully allocated to the Financials sector, with approximately 100% of its portfolio dedicated to this area [5] - The largest holding is Jpmorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), comprising about 8.42% of total assets, followed by Citigroup Inc. (C) and Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) [6] - The top 10 holdings represent around 59.72% of total assets under management [6] Performance Metrics - Year-to-date, FTXO has returned approximately 10.90%, and it has increased by about 21.07% over the past year as of July 24, 2025 [7] - The fund has traded between $25.92 and $35.28 in the last 52 weeks [7] - FTXO has a beta of 0.94 and a standard deviation of 27.42% over the trailing three-year period, indicating effective diversification of company-specific risk with around 51 holdings [7] Investment Alternatives - FTXO holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating favorable expected returns and momentum [8] - Other ETFs in the banking sector include SPDR S&P Bank ETF (KBE) with $1.62 billion in assets and Invesco KBW Bank ETF (KBWB) with $4.86 billion, both having an expense ratio of 0.35% [9]