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Is Invesco Semiconductors ETF (PSI) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Launched on 06/23/2005, the Invesco Semiconductors ETF (PSI - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Technology 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.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.

This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.

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

The fund is managed by Invesco. PSI has been able to amass assets over $575.36 million, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Technology ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the Dynamic Semiconductor Intellidex Index.

The Dynamic Semiconductor Intellidex Index is comprised of stocks of semiconductor companies. The Index is designed to provide capital appreciation by thoroughly evaluating companies based on a variety of investment merit criteria, including fundamental growth, stock valuation, investment timeliness and risk factors.

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 this ETF are 0.57%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.51%.

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.

PSI's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio.

Taking into account individual holdings, Intel Corp (INTC - Free Report) accounts for about 5.65% of the fund's total assets, followed by Micron Technology Inc (MU - Free Report) and Broadcom Inc (AVGO - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 47.89% of PSI's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF return is roughly 21.81% so far this year and is up about 25.17% in the last one year (as of 11/08/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $32.41 and $48.19.

The fund has a beta of 1.38 and standard deviation of 35.84% for the trailing three-year period, which makes PSI a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 31 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

Invesco Semiconductors ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

IShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX - Free Report) tracks PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector Index and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH - Free Report) tracks MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index. IShares Semiconductor ETF has $8.74 billion in assets, VanEck Semiconductor ETF has $9.97 billion. SOXX has an expense ratio of 0.35% and SMH charges 0.35%.

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