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Is Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company Index ETF (FNDE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs category of the market, the Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company Index ETF (FNDE - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 08/13/2013.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
FNDE is managed by Charles Schwab, and this fund has amassed over $4.75 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. Before fees and expenses, FNDE seeks to match the performance of the Russell RAFI Emerging Markets Large Co. Index (Net).
The Russell RAFI Emerging Markets Large Company Index (Net) ranks companies in the Russell Emerging Markets Index by measures of fundamental size and tracks the performance of those companies whose fundamental scores are in the top 87.5% of the Russell Emerging Markets Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.39%.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 5.17%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Looking at individual holdings, China Construction Bank Corp H accounts for about 3.62% of total assets, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Hon Hai Precision Industry Ltd.
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 23.94% of FNDE's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 8.23% so far this year and is down about -10.46% in the last one year (as of 01/31/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $23.19 and $33.20.
FNDE has a beta of 0.74 and standard deviation of 24.07% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 374 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company Index ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Emerging Market ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG - Free Report) tracks MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index and the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO - Free Report) tracks FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index. IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has $71.71 billion in assets, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $73.61 billion. IEMG has an expense ratio of 0.09% and VWO charges 0.08%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Emerging Market ETFs.
Bottom Line
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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Is Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company Index ETF (FNDE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs category of the market, the Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company Index ETF (FNDE - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 08/13/2013.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
FNDE is managed by Charles Schwab, and this fund has amassed over $4.75 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. Before fees and expenses, FNDE seeks to match the performance of the Russell RAFI Emerging Markets Large Co. Index (Net).
The Russell RAFI Emerging Markets Large Company Index (Net) ranks companies in the Russell Emerging Markets Index by measures of fundamental size and tracks the performance of those companies whose fundamental scores are in the top 87.5% of the Russell Emerging Markets Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.39%.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 5.17%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Looking at individual holdings, China Construction Bank Corp H accounts for about 3.62% of total assets, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Hon Hai Precision Industry Ltd.
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 23.94% of FNDE's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 8.23% so far this year and is down about -10.46% in the last one year (as of 01/31/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $23.19 and $33.20.
FNDE has a beta of 0.74 and standard deviation of 24.07% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 374 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company Index ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Emerging Market ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG - Free Report) tracks MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index and the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO - Free Report) tracks FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index. IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has $71.71 billion in assets, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $73.61 billion. IEMG has an expense ratio of 0.09% and VWO charges 0.08%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Emerging Market ETFs.
Bottom Line
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.