Schwab Asset Management is set to introduce its first fund focused on environmental, social and governance factors, joining a growing list of asset managers who sponsor ESG mutual funds and exchange traded funds. The ESG ETF also will be Schwab's first actively managed ETF.
The Schwab Ariel ESG ETF (SAEF) is structured as a semi-transparent fund that invests in small- and mid-cap stocks screened for their ESG factors. Ariel Investments is its subadvisor, responsible for managing the portfolio on a daily basis.
The ETF is expected to start trading "on or about Nov. 16," on the New York Stock Exchange, according to the Schwab press release. It has an operating expense ratio of 0.59%.
The Schwab Ariel ESG ETF will use the NYSE's proxy portfolio structure, which allows the fund to limit the daily disclosure of its actual holdings and prevent any potential front-running. A proxy portfolio, which closely tracks the actual portfolio, will be published daily instead.
"Our first proprietary ESG fund addresses a clear gap in the market for a small- to mid-cap ESG fund managed through a value investing lens," said Malik Sievers, head of ESG Strategy, Schwab Asset Management, in a statement.
