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Is Counterpoint High Yield Trend ETF (HYTR) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs category of the market, the Counterpoint High Yield Trend ETF (HYTR - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 01/21/2020.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.

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.

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.

Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is sponsored by Counterpoint. It has amassed assets over $261.75 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs. HYTR, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the CP HIGH YIELD TREND INDEX .

The CP High Yield Trend Index seeks to provide exposure to the US high yield corporate bond market while reducing risk in times of market turbulence.

Cost & Other Expenses

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.79% for this ETF, which makes it one of the most expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 5.68%.

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.

Taking into account individual holdings, Ishares Broad Us (USHY) accounts for about 39.87% of the fund's total assets, followed by Ishares Iboxx Hi (HYG) and Spdr Bloomberg H (JNK).

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 99.99% of HYTR's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -0.03% and is up roughly 6.47% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 05/06/2026), respectively. HYTR has traded between $21.23 and $22.03 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 0.24 and standard deviation of 5.26% for the trailing three-year period. With about 6 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers .

Alternatives

Counterpoint High Yield Trend ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) tracks Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index and the iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (USHY) tracks BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. High Yield Constrained Index. iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has $16.82 billion in assets, iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has $26.26 billion. HYG has an expense ratio of 0.49% and USHY changes 0.08%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the High-Yield/Junk Bond 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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