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Should Direxion NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE) Be on Your Investing Radar?
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Launched on 03/21/2012, the Direxion NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Direxion. It has amassed assets over $359.45 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Growth
Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.
While growth stocks do boast higher than average sales and earnings growth rates, and they are expected to grow faster than the wider market, investors should note these kinds of stocks have higher valuations. Something to keep in mind is the higher level of volatility that is affiliated with growth stocks. Compared to value stocks, growth stocks are a safer bet in a strong bull market, but don't perform as strongly in almost all other financial environments.
Costs
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.53%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 41.80% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Lam Research Corp (LRCX) accounts for about 1.14% of total assets, followed by Nvidia Corp (NVDA) and Kla Corp (KLAC).
The top 10 holdings account for about 11.05% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
QQQE seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index before fees and expenses. The Index consists of companies in the NASDAQ-100 Index but each of the securities is initially set at a weight of 1.00% of the Index. The NASDAQ-100 Index includes 100 of the largest non-financial securities listed on NASDAQ based on capitalization.
The ETF has added about 4.38% so far this year and was up about 43.64% in the last one year (as of 05/11/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $52.12 and $81.17.
The ETF has a beta of 1.03 and standard deviation of 24.81% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 103 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Direxion NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted Index Shares holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, QQQE is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG - Free Report) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $71.46 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $155.03 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.
Bottom-Line
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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Should Direxion NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Launched on 03/21/2012, the Direxion NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Direxion. It has amassed assets over $359.45 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Growth
Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.
While growth stocks do boast higher than average sales and earnings growth rates, and they are expected to grow faster than the wider market, investors should note these kinds of stocks have higher valuations. Something to keep in mind is the higher level of volatility that is affiliated with growth stocks. Compared to value stocks, growth stocks are a safer bet in a strong bull market, but don't perform as strongly in almost all other financial environments.
Costs
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.53%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 41.80% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Lam Research Corp (LRCX) accounts for about 1.14% of total assets, followed by Nvidia Corp (NVDA) and Kla Corp (KLAC).
The top 10 holdings account for about 11.05% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
QQQE seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index before fees and expenses. The Index consists of companies in the NASDAQ-100 Index but each of the securities is initially set at a weight of 1.00% of the Index. The NASDAQ-100 Index includes 100 of the largest non-financial securities listed on NASDAQ based on capitalization.
The ETF has added about 4.38% so far this year and was up about 43.64% in the last one year (as of 05/11/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $52.12 and $81.17.
The ETF has a beta of 1.03 and standard deviation of 24.81% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 103 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Direxion NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted Index Shares holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, QQQE is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG - Free Report) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $71.46 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $155.03 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.
Bottom-Line
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.