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Is IQ Chaikin U.S. Large Cap ETF (CLRG) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The IQ Chaikin U.S. Large Cap ETF made its debut on 12/13/2017, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
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
Managed by New York Life Investments, CLRG has amassed assets over $273.30 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. CLRG seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ CHAIKIN POWER US LARGE CAP INDEX before fees and expenses.
The NASDAQ Chaikin Power US Large Cap Index applies a quantitative multi-factor model that seeks to identify securities that are expected to outperform peers by selecting securities from the Nasdaq US 300 Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.25% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.46%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Representing 21.30% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector; Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Las Vegas Sands Corp (LVS - Free Report) accounts for about 1.59% of total assets, followed by Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD - Free Report) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) .
CLRG's top 10 holdings account for about 14.29% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, CLRG has added about 2.55%, and it's up approximately 6.55% in the last one year (as of 05/12/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $28.38 and $33.67.
The fund has a beta of 1.03 and standard deviation of 18.41% for the trailing three-year period. With about 103 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IQ Chaikin U.S. Large Cap ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - Free Report) tracks S&P 500 Index and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) tracks S&P 500 Index. IShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $309.03 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $380.02 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Blend.
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 IQ Chaikin U.S. Large Cap ETF (CLRG) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The IQ Chaikin U.S. Large Cap ETF made its debut on 12/13/2017, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
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
Managed by New York Life Investments, CLRG has amassed assets over $273.30 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. CLRG seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ CHAIKIN POWER US LARGE CAP INDEX before fees and expenses.
The NASDAQ Chaikin Power US Large Cap Index applies a quantitative multi-factor model that seeks to identify securities that are expected to outperform peers by selecting securities from the Nasdaq US 300 Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.25% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.46%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Representing 21.30% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector; Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Las Vegas Sands Corp (LVS - Free Report) accounts for about 1.59% of total assets, followed by Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD - Free Report) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) .
CLRG's top 10 holdings account for about 14.29% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, CLRG has added about 2.55%, and it's up approximately 6.55% in the last one year (as of 05/12/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $28.38 and $33.67.
The fund has a beta of 1.03 and standard deviation of 18.41% for the trailing three-year period. With about 103 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IQ Chaikin U.S. Large Cap ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - Free Report) tracks S&P 500 Index and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) tracks S&P 500 Index. IShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $309.03 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $380.02 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Blend.
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.