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Is iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA - Free Report) was launched on 05/05/2010, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend 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.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
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.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
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 Blackrock, EUSA has amassed assets over $202.90 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Blend. EUSA, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Equal Weighted Index.
The MSCI USA Equal Weighted Index represents the MSCI USA Index, measures the performance of equity securities in the top 85% by market capitalization of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in the United States.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
With one of the cheaper products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.15%.
EUSA's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.96%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Representing 18.10% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector; Healthcare and Industrials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Wayfair Inc Class A (W - Free Report) accounts for about 0.45% of the fund's total assets, followed by T Mobile Us Inc (TMUS - Free Report) and Newmont (NEM - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 3% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF has lost about -18.93% so far, and is down about -11.55% over the last 12 months (as of 05/27/2020). EUSA has traded between $40.33 and $66.29 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 22.30% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 641 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Core SP Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT - Free Report) tracks S&P Total Market Index and the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI - Free Report) tracks CRSP US Total Market Index. IShares Core SP Total U.S. Stock Market ETF has $24.11 billion in assets, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has $137.50 billion. ITOT has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VTI charges 0.03%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - All Cap Blend.
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 iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA - Free Report) was launched on 05/05/2010, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend 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.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
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.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
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 Blackrock, EUSA has amassed assets over $202.90 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Blend. EUSA, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Equal Weighted Index.
The MSCI USA Equal Weighted Index represents the MSCI USA Index, measures the performance of equity securities in the top 85% by market capitalization of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in the United States.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
With one of the cheaper products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.15%.
EUSA's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.96%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Representing 18.10% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector; Healthcare and Industrials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Wayfair Inc Class A (W - Free Report) accounts for about 0.45% of the fund's total assets, followed by T Mobile Us Inc (TMUS - Free Report) and Newmont (NEM - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 3% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF has lost about -18.93% so far, and is down about -11.55% over the last 12 months (as of 05/27/2020). EUSA has traded between $40.33 and $66.29 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 22.30% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 641 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Core SP Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT - Free Report) tracks S&P Total Market Index and the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI - Free Report) tracks CRSP US Total Market Index. IShares Core SP Total U.S. Stock Market ETF has $24.11 billion in assets, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has $137.50 billion. ITOT has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VTI charges 0.03%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - All Cap Blend.
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.