BlackRock headquarters in New York. (Photo: AP)
BlackRock, the passive investing powerhouse, has launched its first actively managed ETFs linked to its quant-based stock-picking group, Systematic Active Equity, whose role in the firm was elevated a year ago.
The suite of ETFs, called iShares Evolved, consists of seven sector funds trading on the Cboe BZX Exchange:
- iShares Evolved U.S. Technology ETF (IETC)
- iShares Evolved U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IECS)
- iShares Evolved U.S Discretionary Spending ETF (IEDI)
- iShares Evolved U.S. Financials ETF (IEFN)
- iShares Evolved U.S. Healthcare Staples ETF (IEHS)
- iShares Evolved U.S. Innovative Healthcare (IEIH)
- iShares Evolved U.S. Media and Entertainment (IEME)
Each ETF marries the "ETF structure" with "the data science expertise of BlackRock's SAE managers" and has an expense ratio of 18 basis points, according to a press release.
That data science has been used to develop a new sector classification system that replaces the standard GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) with a more dynamic one to reflect the evolution of industries and companies.
Where GICS has 11 sectors, BlackRock's system has 12, including two for health care: Healthcare Staples and Innovative Healthcare, and two for consumer discretionary: Discretionary Spending and Media Entertainment. Unlike the GICS sysem, there is no materials sector. Most importantly, one company can be included in multiple sectors.
Under BlackRock's classification system, "a company's total market capitalization is assigned to one or more sectors based on the words and/or phrases" used in its public filings to describe its businesses, according to the press release. The weightings in each sector is based on those words or phrases and can change over time.
