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Is Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Discretionary ETF (RSPD) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Discretionary ETF (RSPD - Free Report) debuted on 11/01/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Consumer Discretionary ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

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.

However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: 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.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

RSPD is managed by Invesco, and this fund has amassed over $496.66 million, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Consumer Discretionary ETFs. RSPD seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 EQL WEIGHT CONS DISCRETIONARY ID before fees and expenses.

The S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Discretionary Index equally weights stocks in the consumer discretionary sector of the S&P 500 Index.

Cost & Other Expenses

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 cousins, other things remaining the same.

Annual operating expenses for RSPD are 0.40%, which makes it one of the cheaper products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.07%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Discretionary sector - about 100% of the portfolio.

When you look at individual holdings, Amazon.com Inc (AMZN - Free Report) accounts for about 2.52% of the fund's total assets, followed by Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (CMG - Free Report) and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 23% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added about 4.47% and was up about 0% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 06/28/2023), respectively. RSPD has traded between $129.96 and $135.33 during this last 52-week period.

RSPD has a beta of 1.33. With about 53 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Discretionary ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Consumer Discretionary ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Discretionary 25/50 Index and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY - Free Report) tracks Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index. Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF has $4.60 billion in assets, Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF has $17.06 billion. VCR has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLY charges 0.10%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Consumer Discretionary 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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