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Buy Hot Tech ETFs to Avoid Trump Uncertainties

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Talks are rampant about an impending correction in the broader market if Trump’s Health Care plans fail and uncertainty over his other promises mounts. Though it is too early to portend any setback on the new President’s plans, investors should always take guard for a bear case.

Investors should note that though the Nasdaq 100 gave a fair return in the Trump rally, it lagged the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 in 2016. However, the tech-heavy index picked up greater momentum from the end of January 2017 to surpass the S&P 500, though is still behind the DOW.

As fear gripped market lately on an uncertain future, we see that the Nasdaq-100 is way better-positioned than the other two important U.S. equity gauges. In the last one month (as of March 22, 2017), Nasdaq -100 ETF QQQ was up 0.4% while the Dow Jones-based fund DIA lost over 0.1% and the S&P 500-based ETF SPY was off about 0.5%.

Reasons for the Expected Rally in Tech Stocks

Trump’s Softer Tone Toward Protectionist Views            

Investors should note that tech stocks fell into the questionable spot after Donald Trump’s win. This is because Trump is expected to take stricter steps on immigration and outsourcing – the two pillars that the tech sector stands on. However, the Trump administration’s tone turned softer lately on several key protectionist issues. We do not expect too many threats on the outsourcing and the tech sector as a whole (read: Trump Trade Advisor's Comments Boost Mexico ETFs).

Solid Earnings

Investors should note that the earnings picture of the technology sector has been reassuring lately. Expected earnings growth for the technology sector for Q1 of 2017 is 10.5% on 6.6% higher revenues, as per the Earnings Trends published on March 10. The earnings growth rate is the highest among the other industries. Revenue growth expectation is also decent.

Compelling Valuation

Valuation-wise, the tech sector is on a better ground than broader market ETFs like SPY and DIA. QQQ and XLK now have a positive weighted alpha of 23.30 each. On the other hand, SPY has a positive weighted alpha of 15.50 and DIA has it at 19.10. Since positive weighted alpha hints at more gains, one can see that tech-heavy ETFs have higher chances of a positive run than SPY and DIA.

Cyclical Nature   

The technology sector is said to be a cyclicalone and performs well in a growing economy. Recent data points give cues of economic well-being. An influence of this uptick in the economy on the stock market was only natural (read: Tackle Trump & the Fed with These Cyclical Sector ETFs).

So, if stocks continue to do well, a wealth effect can be realized and tech stocks may prosper out of this cyclicality. If stocks retreat, then valuation and better fundamentals would fuel tech stocks.

Apple Returned in Style

Technology giant Apple (AAPL) has regained its momentum and hit all-time highs this year after some struggles last year. A blockbuster fiscal first-quarter earnings report and the excitement surrounding the upcoming iPhone 8 made this possible. This also testifies to the strength in consumer demand related to tech products. Also, Apple has a solid exposure to many tech ETFs (read: Take a Bite Out of Apple with These ETFs).

Emergence of Technology          

The last but not the least, this sector saw strong demand for its products in emerging technology applications like tablets and smartphones, wearables, VR headsets and drones. Also, rise of cloud computing, big data and Internet of Things are there to give a big push to the sector. Moreover, the sector, especially the  semiconductor area, is now concentrating on consolidation, something that investors follow closely (read: Will Semiconductor ETFs Repeat This Year's Success in 2017?). 

Winning ETFs of This Year

iShares North American Tech-Software (IGV - Free Report) – Up 14.9%

ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK - Free Report) – Up 14.8%

Global X Internet of Things Thematic ETF (SNSR - Free Report) – Up 13.4%

First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector Index Fund (QTEC - Free Report) – Up 13.2%

PowerShares Dynamic Semiconductors Portfolio ETF (PSI - Free Report) – Up 13.2%

PureFunds Video Game Tech ETF (GAMR - Free Report) – Up 13.2%

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