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Is SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE - Free Report) debuted on 06/19/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Financials 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 work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide 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.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by State Street Global Advisors, KRE has amassed assets over $4.63 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Financials ETFs. KRE, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P Regional Banks Select Industry Index.
The S&P Regional Banks Select Industry Index represents the regional banks segment of the S&P Total Market 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.
Annual operating expenses for KRE are 0.35%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
KRE's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.43%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.
Representing 100% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector.
Looking at individual holdings, M + T Bank Corp (MTB - Free Report) accounts for about 5.02% of total assets, followed by Huntington Bancshares Inc (HBAN - Free Report) and Regions Financial Corp (RF - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 37.25% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 26.48% so far this year and was up about 47.79% in the last one year (as of 11/21/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $44.11 and $67.06.
The ETF has a beta of 1.05 and standard deviation of 31.88% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 145 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Financials ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.
Invesco KBW Regional Banking ETF (KBWR - Free Report) tracks KBW Nasdaq Regional Banking Index and the iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF (IAT - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Regional Banks Index. Invesco KBW Regional Banking ETF has $61.25 million in assets, iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF has $721.33 million. KBWR has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IAT charges 0.40%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Financials 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 SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE - Free Report) debuted on 06/19/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Financials 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 work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide 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.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by State Street Global Advisors, KRE has amassed assets over $4.63 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Financials ETFs. KRE, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P Regional Banks Select Industry Index.
The S&P Regional Banks Select Industry Index represents the regional banks segment of the S&P Total Market 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.
Annual operating expenses for KRE are 0.35%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
KRE's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.43%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.
Representing 100% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector.
Looking at individual holdings, M + T Bank Corp (MTB - Free Report) accounts for about 5.02% of total assets, followed by Huntington Bancshares Inc (HBAN - Free Report) and Regions Financial Corp (RF - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 37.25% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 26.48% so far this year and was up about 47.79% in the last one year (as of 11/21/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $44.11 and $67.06.
The ETF has a beta of 1.05 and standard deviation of 31.88% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 145 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Financials ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.
Invesco KBW Regional Banking ETF (KBWR - Free Report) tracks KBW Nasdaq Regional Banking Index and the iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF (IAT - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Regional Banks Index. Invesco KBW Regional Banking ETF has $61.25 million in assets, iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF has $721.33 million. KBWR has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IAT charges 0.40%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Financials 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.