Franklin Templeton expanded its active exchange-traded fund lineup with the addition of three thematic ETFs, its first such ETFs: Franklin Disruptive Commerce ETF (BUYZ), Franklin Genomic Advancements ETF (HELX) and Franklin Intelligent Machines ETF (IQM).
Each ETF has a net expense ratio of 0.50%, according to the firm's website, are listed on the Chicago Board Options Exchange and are actively managed by Matthew Moberg and Joyce Lin of Franklin Equity Group.
"BUYZ, HELX and IQM are focused on investing in innovative companies within each theme – e-commerce, genomics and intelligent machines," said Patrick O'Connor, global head of ETFs, in a statement." Each thematic ETF seeks long-term capital appreciation.
BUYZ invests in companies "benefitting from or facilitating advancements in emerging areas of the e-commerce space that are facilitating more convenient, customized, secure and time-efficient transactions for both consumers and businesses," according to the firm.
HELX invests in companies focused on new genomic-based research techniques and technologies designed to "extend and enhance the quality of human and other life, driven by the advent of cost-effective and rapid gene sequencing" and IQM invests in companies focused on machine learning technologies in areas including robotics, driverless vehicles and algorithmic data analysis.
Wilmington Fund Added to Schwab OneSource Select List
The Wilmington Global Alpha Equities Fund was added to Charles Schwab's Mutual Fund OneSource Select List, Wilmington Trust's Wilmington Investment Management division announced.
Class A shares (WRAAX) have a net expense ratio of 1.5%, while Class I shares (WRAIX) have a net expense ratio of 1.25%,
The Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource Select List includes no‐load and no‐transaction fee mutual funds that Wilmington said have been "rigorously evaluated" by Charles Schwab Investment Advisory. It is designed to help investors identify funds that offer the best combination of factors including performance, risk and expense, Wilmington noted.
From January 2017 through January 2020, the Wilmington Global Alpha Equities Fund outperformed its benchmark, the HFRX Equity Hedge Index, by 283 basis points on a net basis and captured about 50% of the return of global equities with only about a third of the volatility (as measured by the MSCI ACWI Index), according to Wilmington.
New York Life Investments Teams With CBRE
New York Life Investments is bringing additional alternative investment funds into its MainStay Fund lineup via a strategic partnership with real assets investment management firm CBRE Global Investors.
The partnership includes the launch of two mutual funds: The MainStay CBRE Real Estate Fund and MainStay CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund, both sub-advised by CBRE Clarion Securities, the listed securities investment management arm of CBRE Global Investors.
The MainStay CBRE Real Estate Fund invests in REITs, real estate owners, real estate managers, real estate brokers, real estate dealers and companies with significant real estate holdings, according to the firms. The MainStay CBRE Global Infrastructure Fund invests in a globally diversified portfolio of securities issued by infrastructure companies across the utilities, communications, energy, transportation and other sectors, they said.