iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Value ETF

ISHARES PLC ORD by IShares Plc.

The value factor made its presence felt last year, prompting investors to put billions of dollars of new capital to work with large-cap value exchange-traded funds, but investors do not need to limit their affinity for value stocks<a href="http://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/17/01/8861480/a-value-etf-looks-for-big-things-in-2017"> to large-cap names</a>.
Historical data suggest longer-term investors should embrace small-cap value funds. Since the start of the current bull market, small-cap value ETFs have been among the <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/16/11/8751464/a-small-cap-etf-is-the-champion-of-the-bull-market">best-performing non-leveraged ETFs</a>.
One small-cap ETF to consider is the iShares S&amp;P SmallCap 600 Value Idx (ETF) (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ijs#NYSE">IJS</a>). The $4.86 billion IJS tracks the S&amp;P SmallCap 600 Value Index, the value offshoot of the widely followed S&amp;P SmallCap 600 Index.
Many of nearly 440 stocks held by IJS &ldquo;have limited analyst coverage and do not enjoy sustainable competitive advantages. They also tend to have less attractive business prospects than their growth counterparts, so they are not necessarily bargains,&rdquo; said <a href="http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=787361">Morningstar</a> in a recent note.
<h3>Value And Volatility</h3>
Value should not imply lower volatility. IJS has a three-year standard deviation of 15.6 percent compared to just under 15.1 percent for the iShares S&amp;P SmallCap 600 Index (ETF) (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ijr#NYSE">IJR</a>). Likewise, IJS does not offer a significant dividend yield advantage relative to IJR as both ETFs sport trailing 12-month yields around 1.2 percent.
&ldquo;Unlike value index funds derived from the Russell 2000 Index and CRSP U.S. Small Cap Index, S&amp;P requires new constituents in the fund&#39;s parent benchmark to have positive net income over the previous four quarters. This requirement reduces the fund&#39;s exposure to firms in severe financial distress.&nbsp;S&amp;P may also consider other measures of financial viability, such as leverage,&rdquo; noted Morningstar.
<h3>Why Consider IJS</h3>
Unlike large-cap value ETFs, IJS does not feature a large weight to energy stocks, but like its large-cap peers, IJS does have a hefty financial services weight. That sector is the largest in IJS at almost 19.1 percent of the ETF&#39;s weight. Industrial and consumer discretionary stocks combine for over 36 percent of the ETF&#39;s weight while technology and healthcare names combine for over 20 percent.
Again, IJS is a solid idea for those investing for the long haul.
&ldquo;Small-cap value stocks have a good long-term record. From its inception in December 1978 through December 2016, the Russell 2000 Value Index (which offers similar exposure to this fund) outpaced the Russell 2000 Growth Index by about 3.7 percentage points annually. This outperformance has not been consistent. Over the past 10 years, the Russell 2000 Value Index lagged its growth counterpart by 1.5 percentage points annualized. While they won&#39;t always come out ahead, value stocks will likely offer a modest return edge over the long term,&rdquo; according to Morningstar.

Long Ideas

Broad U.S. Equity ETFs

Small Cap Analysis

Markets

Trading Ideas

ETFs

iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Value Index Fund

Big Value In A Small-Cap Package

The value factor is one of the most widely followed investment factors, but for investors in mutual funds and exchange traded funds, a fund&#39;s performance and its fees are major factors in determining just how good of a value investors are getting.

	Investors in actively managed value mutual funds pay attention because there is an excellent chance you are getting a bad deal.

	"The average large-cap value mutual fund comes with a 1.1 percent expense ratio. Whether this seems high to you or not might depend on how well these funds have done relative to common benchmarks. We believe, semi-annual research from S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices, operating independently from S&amp;P Capital IQ, continually paints a stark picture that many of these funds may not be worth the cost,&rdquo; said <a href="http://trymsatoday.com/">S&amp;P Capital IQ</a> in a research note out Friday.&nbsp;

	To go along with those higher fees (1.1 percent per year means $110 for every $10,000 invested), investors are also being subjected to disappointing performance, something that is all too common <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/news/15/09/5829832/active-management-mediocrity-continues">in the world of actively managed funds</a>.&nbsp;

	"Just 30 percent of all large-cap value and 24 percent of all small-cap value funds outperformed the S&amp;P 500 Value and the S&amp;P SmallCap 600 Value indices, respectively,&rdquo; said S&amp;P Capital IQ.

	Small-cap value managers are not doing much better than broad small-cap managers, which have failed to beat their benchmarks an average of 80 percent of the time over the trailing five- and 10-year periods, according to S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices.

	Large-cap value managers are also better than diversified counterparts, though that is not saying much because the latter group fails to beat its benchmarks about 80 percent of the time over the past five and 10 years.

	The failures of active managers with the value factor enhance the utility of ETFs such as the $7.95 billion iShares S&amp;P 500 Value ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ive#NYSE">IVE</a>). IVE tracks the S&amp;P 500 Value Index, the benchmark many active managers fail to beat. IVE has returned more than 40 percent over the past three years while charging just 0.18 percent per year.

	Over the same period, the iShares S&amp;P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ijs#NYSE">IJS</a>) has returned north of 42 percent. Though that lags the performance of the broader S&amp;P SmallCap 600 Index, IJS has been a better, more cost-effective better than its actively managed counterparts.

	"The average small-cap value fund lagged by an even more egregious 364 basis points in the one-year period, considering the expense ratio is 1.36 percent. For perspective, iShares S&amp;P Small-Cap 600 Value, which has $3.2 billion in assets, incurs a 0.25 percent expense ratio,&rdquo; said S&amp;P Capital IQ.

	For the investor that wants to save every dollar possible,<a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/15/09/5831187/market-maelstrom-shows-investors-prefer-etfs"> a fine idea</a>, Vanguard steps up to the plate with the Vanguard Value ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/vtv#NYSE">VTV</a>). The $18.3 billion VTV, the largest value ETF on the market, charges just 0.09 percent per year, less than 92 percent of rival funds.&nbsp;

	VTV is home to nearly 320 stocks, over 38 percent of which hail from either the financial services or health care sectors. Seven of the ETF&#39;s top 10 holdings, 25.8 percent of the fund&#39;s weight as of July 31, are Dow components.

Education

General

Finding Value In Value ETFs

Plenty of investors like the iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/iwm#NYSE">IWM</a>). Nearly $22 billion in assets under management indicate as much and that number not only makes IWM one of the largest small-cap ETFs, but one of the largest ETFs of any kind.

	Hedge funds like IWM, too. The ETF "trades with a spread about one-tenth of the underlying small-capitalization stocks. It also averages $4 billion in value traded per day — which is about half the entire volume changing hands of the 2,000 underlying stocks ($8 billion)," said Credit Suisse's Phil Mackintosh, <a href="http://blogs.barrons.com/focusonfunds/2013/06/28/why-hedge-funds-love-the-smallcap-etf/">according to Barron's</a>.

	Indeed, professional investors do love IWM. More than 100 first-quarter 13F filings showed the ETF among pros' top-10 holdings and the fund appeared in 605 filings, <a href="http://whalewisdom.com/stock/iwm">according to Whale Wisdom</a>. More pros (288) added to existing IWM positions than were seen lowering exposure to the ETF (229).

	IWM is up 16% year-to-date and it is hard to complain about that. However, some small-cap ETFs have been better. Professional investors making mistakes with ETFs is nothing. There are the guys, including one that is quite the poker player, that ought to consider <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/05/3598629/four-things-einhorn-soros-are-forgetting-about-gold-miners-et">cashing in their chips on gold miners</a>.

	Do not forget Jeff Gundlach extolling the virtues of the iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ewj#NYSE">EWJ</a>) <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/01/3229588/dont-follow-bond-king-jeff-gundlach-into-japanese-etf-mistake">in January</a>. That was a good call as EWJ is up 14.6 percent year-to-date. A good call except for the part where the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dxj#NYSE">DXJ</a>) has outpaced EWJ by 820 basis points this year.

	Investors looking to top the pros that own IWM have options. They do not even have to go out of the iShares family as the iShares S&amp;P SmallCap 600 Value Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ijs#NYSE">IJS</a>) has outpaced IWM this year by 60 basis points while being less volatile than IWM. Remember, hedge funds love throw around the term "risk adjusted returns." Well, higher returns with less volatility is usually better than lower than lower returns with more volatility.

	Then there is the Vanguard Small-Cap ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/vb#NYSE">VB</a>), which does battle with IWM for the title of largest small-cap ETF. VB has only slightly outperformed IWM this year, but it has been noticeably less volatile.

	Additionally, VB merits consideration for any investor, professional or retail, that expects to hold a small cap ETF for a year or more because the Vanguard offering only charges 0.1 percent per year compared to 0.24 percent per year for IWM.

	Then there is the admittedly costlier (0.61 percent annual expense ratio) PowerShares DWA SmallCap Technical Leaders Portfolio (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dwas#NYSE">DWAS</a>). DWAS is not even a year old and has spent a fair amount of its life with less than $100 million in assets (it now has $124.4 million), which opens any ETF to criticism from the ETF chattering class.

	Still, the relative strength factor employed by DWAS has helped the new fund <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/news/12/09/2943674/slow-to-grow-new-small-cap-etfs-performing-well">to be a steady performer</a>. Year-to-date, DWAS is up nearly 20 percent.

	To be fair, DWAS only holds 200 stocks (IWM holds 1,941) and that higher level of concentration can help on the upside. Additionally, the ETF has average daily volume of less than 80,000 shares. IWM trades an average of 45.6 million shares. Still, in 286 trading day for DWAS from its debut through the end of the first quarter, the ETF only traded at a noticeable premium or discount to its net asset value on five occasions, <a href="http://www.invescopowershares.com/products/overview.aspx?ticker=DWAS">according to PowerShares data</a>.

	For more on ETFs, click <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/etfs">here</a>.

News

Short Ideas

New ETFs

Small Cap

Intraday Update

DWAS

WisdomTree Trust Japan Total Dividend Fund

Another Hedge Fund ETF Mistake

WisdomTree Trust WisdomTree SmallCap Dividend

streetTRACKS Dow Jones U.S. Small Cap Value Index Fund

streetTRACKS Dow Jones U.S. Large Cap Value Index Fund

FCNTX

iShares Trusthen & Steers Realty Majors Index Fund

iShares Trust Russell MidCap Value Index Fund

iShares Trust Dow Jones US Real Estate Fund Index

iShare Morningstar Large Growth Index Fund

iShares Morningstar Large Value Index Fund

iShares Morningstar Small Value Index Fund

LSVEX

PowerShares Dynamic Developed International Opportunities Portfolio

PowerShares Exchange Traded Fund Dynamic Small Cap Portfolio

PTTRX

PowerShares Exchange Traded Fund Trust Dynamic Mid Cap Value Portfolio

PowerShares Exchange Traded Fund Trust Dynamic Large Cap Value Portfolio

PowerShares Exchange Traded Fund Trust Dynamic Small Cap Value Portfolio

PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II PowerShares FTSE RAFI Emerging Markets Portfolio

QQQQ

Rydex ETF Trust S&P Midcap 400 Pure Value ETF

Rydex ETF Trust Rydex S&P Equal Weight ETF

Rydex ETF Trust S&P Smallcap 600 Pure Value ETF

SCHA

SCHV

SCHX

Accenture 401K Retirement Plan: High Quality and Low Cost Funds with Proper Diversification

Amazon.com (Ticker: AMZN) is the largest online book and goods seller. It was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It pioneered in online ecommerce and has been very successful in its aggressive business expansion. When it comes to its retirement plan investment choices, however, it provides a somewhat U.S. centric and old style plan.
The <a rel="nofollow">Amazon.com 401K Plan</a> consists of 12 funds. These funds enable participants to gain exposure to 3 major assets: US Equity, Foreign Equity, Fixed Income. This is a very conventional retirement plan that has been clearly U.S. and developed countries centric.
<table style="width: 50%;" border="0">
<thead>
<tr>
<th align="left">Asset Class</th>
<th align="left">Ticker</th>
<th align="left">Name</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="40%">LARGE GROWTH</td>
<td width="20%">RGAEX</td>
<td width="40%">American Funds Growth Fund of Amer R4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">LARGE BLEND</td>
<td width="20%">VFINX</td>
<td width="40%">Vanguard 500 Index Investor</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">LARGE GROWTH</td>
<td width="20%">VFTSX</td>
<td width="40%">Vanguard FTSE Social Index Inv</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">LARGE VALUE</td>
<td width="20%">VWNFX</td>
<td width="40%">Vanguard Windsor II</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">MID-CAP BLEND</td>
<td width="20%">VSEQX</td>
<td width="40%">Vanguard Strategic Equity</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">SMALL VALUE</td>
<td width="20%">AVPAX</td>
<td width="40%">American Beacon Small Cp Val Plan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">Small Growth</td>
<td width="20%">VEXPX</td>
<td width="40%">Vanguard Explorer</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">Foreign Large Blend</td>
<td width="20%">JIEIX</td>
<td width="40%">Artio International Equity I</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">Intermediate-Term Bond</td>
<td width="20%">PTTRX</td>
<td width="40%">PIMCO Total Return Instl</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">Retirement Income</td>
<td width="20%">VTINX</td>
<td width="40%">Vanguard Target Retirement Income</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">US EQUITY</td>
<td width="20%">AMZN</td>
<td width="40%">Amazoncom Inc</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%">Money Market</td>
<td width="20%"></td>
<td width="40%"> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
 
The list of minor asset classes covered: Foreign Large Blend: EFA, VEU, GWL, PFA Intermediate-term Bond: AGG, CIU, BIV, BND Large Blend: IVV, IYY, IWV, VTI, VV, SPY, DLN, RSP, SCHX Large Growth: IVW, IWZ, JKE, VUG, ELG, QQQQ, RPG, SCHG Large Value: IVE, IWW, JKF, VTV, ELV, PWV, RPV, SCHV Mid-cap Blend: IJH, IWR, JKG, VO, MDY, EMM, PJG, DON, EZM, MVV Retirement Income: Small Growth: IJT, IWO, JKK, VBK, DSG, PWT, RZG, UKK Small Value: IJS, IWN, JKL, VBR, DSV, PWY, RZV, UVT Us Equity: IVV, IYY, IWV, VTI, VV, SPY, DLN, RSP, SCHX
<table border="0">
<thead>
<tr>
<th align="left">Asset Class</th>
<th>Number of funds</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>REITs</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Balanced Fund</td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Fixed Income</td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Commodity</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sector Fund</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Foreign Equity</td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Emerging Market Equity</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>US Equity</td>
<td>8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Other</td>
<td>9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Total</td>
<td>12</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
As of Mar 21, 2011, this plan investment choice is rated as below average based on MyPlanIQ <a rel="nofollow">Plan Rating methodology </a> that was designed to measure how effective a plan's available investment funds are . It has the following detailed ratings:
Diversification -- Rated as average (43%) Fund Quality -- Rated as below average (19%) Portfolio Building -- Rated as average (38%) Overall Rating: 		below average (34%)
Since Amazon.com was founded in 1994, the world has gone through dramatic changes. Globalization has enabled countries like China, India and Brazil to emerge as strong economic powers in the world, partly due to the rapid development in internet and communication. Ironically, Amazon.com, while being aggressive to pursue its cutting edge business practice and technology, has provided its employees a very traditional retirement plan that lacks of other major asset exposure including emerging market stocks and real estate investments (REITs). This is reflected in the performance of the following model portfolios that adopt asset allocation strategies: strategic and tactical asset allocation strategies (<a rel="nofollow">SAA </a>and <a rel="nofollow">TAA </a>for participants in Amazon.com 401K Plan).
Strategic Asset Allocation is based on well known modern portfolio theory and its key features include: diversification, proper fund selection and periodically re-balancing.
Tactical Asset Allocation works on a diversified array of assets provided by funds in a plan and adjusts asset mixes based on market conditions such as asset price momentum utilized by TAA.
The chart and table below show the historical performance of moderate model portfolios employing strategic and tactical asset allocation strategies. For comparison purpose, we also include the moderate model portfolios of a typical 3 asset <a rel="nofollow">SIB (Simpler Is Better) plan </a>. This SIB plan has the following candidate index funds and their ETFs equivalent:
US Equity: SPY or VTI Foreign Equity: EFA or VEU Fixed Income: AGG or BND Performance chart (as of Mar 21, 2011)
<a rel="lightbox"> </a>
<a rel="lightbox" href="../LTISystem/article_viewchart.action?portfolioID=17111,17117,31628,31631"> <img style="margin: 6px;" title="chart" src="http://www.myplaniq.com/LTISystem/article_viewchart.action?portfolioID=17111,17117,31628,31631" alt="chart" /></a><a rel="lightbox" href="../LTISystem/article_viewchart.action?portfolioID=17111,17117,31628,31631"> </a>
Performance table (as of Mar 21, 2011)
<div id="show_Port_div" style="display: block;">
<table id="comparetablePort" class="tablesorter" style="width: 100%;" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0">
<thead>
<tr>
<th class="header" width="40%">Portfolio Name</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">1Yr AR</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">1Yr Sharpe</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">3Yr AR</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">3Yr Sharpe</th>
<th class="header" width="10%">5Yr AR </th>
<th class="header" width="10%">5Yr Sharpe</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a> Amazon.com 401K Plan Tactical Asset Allocation Moderate</a></td>
<td>4%</td>
<td>32%</td>
<td>7%</td>
<td>70%</td>
<td>8%</td>
<td>70%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a> Amazon.com 401K Plan Strategic Asset Allocation Moderate</a></td>
<td>7%</td>
<td>60%</td>
<td>4%</td>
<td>26%</td>
<td>5%</td>
<td>30%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a> Three Core Asset ETF Benchmark Tactical Asset Allocation Moderate</a></td>
<td>-2%</td>
<td>-32%</td>
<td>2%</td>
<td>16%</td>
<td>4%</td>
<td>28%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a> Three Core Asset ETF Benchmark Strategic Asset Allocation Moderate</a></td>
<td>11%</td>
<td>69%</td>
<td>4%</td>
<td>13%</td>
<td>4%</td>
<td>14%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
Currently Commodities, Real Estate and US Equity are doing well. Only US Equity is available to Amazon.com 401K Plan participants.
This plan beats the three asset benchmark by virtue of the US asset class choices. If would be a stronger plan with more fixed income choices and an additional asset class.
To summarize, Amazon.com 401K Plan would do well by their employees to consider reviewing their existing funds and adding additional asset classes such as REITs and emerging market stocks.
Symbols:<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=AMZN&amp;count=002'>AMZN</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=SPY&amp;count=00127'>SPY</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VTI&amp;count=0091'>VTI</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=EFA&amp;count=00142'>EFA</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VEU&amp;count=00124'>VEU</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=AGG&amp;count=00134'>AGG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=BND&amp;count=00144'>BND</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IVV&amp;count=0044'>IVV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IYY&amp;count=0036'>IYY</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IWV&amp;count=0041'>IWV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VV&amp;count=0036'>VV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=DLN&amp;count=0038'>DLN</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=RSP&amp;count=0040'>RSP</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=SCHX&amp;count=0036'>SCHX</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=CIU&amp;count=00104'>CIU</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=BIV&amp;count=0045'>BIV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=GWL&amp;count=0038'>GWL</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=PFA&amp;count=0035'>PFA</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IVE&amp;count=0035'>IVE</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IWW&amp;count=0032'>IWW</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=JKF&amp;count=0025'>JKF</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VTV&amp;count=0037'>VTV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=ELV&amp;count=0024'>ELV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=PWV&amp;count=0025'>PWV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=RPV&amp;count=0025'>RPV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=SCHV&amp;count=0027'>SCHV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IVW&amp;count=0040'>IVW</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IWZ&amp;count=0032'>IWZ</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=JKE&amp;count=0029'>JKE</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VUG&amp;count=0041'>VUG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=ELG&amp;count=0028'>ELG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=QQQQ&amp;count=0081'>QQQQ</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=RPG&amp;count=0029'>RPG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=SCHG&amp;count=0031'>SCHG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IJH&amp;count=0026'>IJH</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IWR&amp;count=0026'>IWR</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=JKG&amp;count=0017'>JKG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VO&amp;count=0026'>VO</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=MDY&amp;count=0072'>MDY</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=EMM&amp;count=0020'>EMM</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=PJG&amp;count=0017'>PJG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=DON&amp;count=0020'>DON</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=EZM&amp;count=0020'>EZM</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=MVV&amp;count=0016'>MVV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IJS&amp;count=0022'>IJS</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IWN&amp;count=0022'>IWN</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=JKL&amp;count=0013'>JKL</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VBR&amp;count=0021'>VBR</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=DSV&amp;count=0014'>DSV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=PWY&amp;count=0013'>PWY</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=RZV&amp;count=0013'>RZV</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=UVT&amp;count=0013'>UVT</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IJT&amp;count=0019'>IJT</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=IWO&amp;count=0020'>IWO</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=JKK&amp;count=0013'>JKK</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=VBK&amp;count=0024'>VBK</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=DSG&amp;count=0013'>DSG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=PWT&amp;count=0011'>PWT</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=RZG&amp;count=0010'>RZG</a>,<a href ='../../../../LTISystem/f401k_symbols.action?symbol=UKK&amp;count=0010'>UKK</a>,
Exchange Tickers:(AMZN),(SPY),(VTI),(EFA),(VEU),(AGG),(BND),(IVV),(IYY),(IWV),(VV),(DLN),(RSP),(SCHX),(CIU),(BIV),(GWL),(PFA),(IVE),(IWW),(JKF),(VTV),(ELV),(PWV),(RPV),(SCHV),(IVW),(IWZ),(JKE),(VUG),(ELG),(QQQQ),(RPG),(SCHG),(IJH),(IWR),(JKG),(VO),(MDY),(EMM),(PJG),(DON),(EZM),(MVV),(IJS),(IWN),(JKL),(VBR),(DSV),(PWY),(RZV),(UVT),(IJT),(IWO),(JKK),(VBK),(DSG),(PWT),(RZG),(UKK)
Disclosure:
MyPlanIQ does not have any business relationship with the company or companies mentioned in this article. It does not set up their retirement plans. The performance data of portfolios mentioned above are obtained through historical simulation and are hypothetical.
 
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AMZN

iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Growth Index Fund

iShares Morningstar Small Growth Index Fund

PowerShares Exchange Traded Fund Dynamic Mid Cap Portfolio

PowerShares Exchange Traded Fund Trust Dynamic Small Cap Growth Portfolio

Rydex ETF Trust S&P Smallcap 600 Pure Growth ETF

Online Pioneer Amazon.com Can Expand Its 401K Plan for More Diversification

Vanguard launched nine new ETFs on September 9, 2010 targeting the style-box matrix based on S&amp;P indexes with growth, value, and blend versions of the large cap S&amp;P 500, the S&amp;P Mid-Cap 400, and the S&amp;P Small-Cap 600.  All will compete with existing SPDRs and iShares products based on the same indexes.
Some analysts may brush these off as “me too” products, but Vanguard knows how to play “me too” better than anyone.  Most Vanguard products on the market fit this description, yet the company has quietly entrenched itself as the third largest ETF provider with more than $110 billion in assets.
Vanguard introduced its first two ETFs in 2001, then sat quietly until January 2004 when it introduced 14 new funds.  Only a licensing disagreement kept the 2004 batch from tracking S&amp;P indexes.  So Vanguard brought them out based on MSCI indexes.
Now, 34 years after the introduction of the <a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0040&amp;FundIntExt=INT" target="_blank">Vanguard 500 Index Fund</a> (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/vfinx#">VFINX</a>), the ETF version has arrived.  According to a <a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/insights/article/fund-announcement-09092010" target="_blank">Vanguard article</a>, the new Vanguard S&amp;P 500 ETF (VOO) features an expense ratio of 0.06%, the lowest expense ratio in the industry for an ETF based on the S&amp;P 500 Index or any other large-capitalization domestic benchmark.  All nine of the new ETFs are eligible for commission-free trading by Vanguard brokerage clients.  The new ETFs:
<ul>
<li>Vanguard S&amp;P 500 ETF (VOO) (<a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0968&amp;FundIntExt=INT" target="_blank">VOO summary</a>) has an expense ratio of 0.06% and will directly compete with SPDR S&amp;P 500 (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/spy#">SPY</a>) and iShares S&amp;P 500 (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/ivv#">IVV</a>), which both have a 0.09% expense ratio.</li>
<li>Vanguard S&amp;P 500 Growth ETF (VOOG) (<a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=3341&amp;FundIntExt=INT" target="_blank">VOOG summary</a>) has an expense ratio of 0.15% and will directly compete with iShares S&amp;P 500 Growth (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/ivw#">IVW</a>) which has a 0.18% expense ratio.</li>
<li>Vanguard S&amp;P 500 Value ETF (VOOV) (<a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=3340&amp;FundIntExt=INT" target="_blank">VOOV summary</a>) has an expense ratio of 0.15% and will directly compete with iShares S&amp;P 500 Value (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/ivw#">IVW</a>) which has a 0.18% expense ratio.</li>
<li>Vanguard S&amp;P Mid-Cap 400 ETF (IVOO) (<a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=3342&amp;FundIntExt=INT" target="_blank">IVOO summary</a>) has an expense ratio of 0.15% and will directly compete with SPDR S&amp;P MidCap 400 (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/mdy#">MDY</a>) which has a 0.25% expense ratio and iShares S&amp;P MidCap 400 (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/ivw#">IVW</a>) which has a 0.20% expense ratio.</li>
<li>Vanguard S&amp;P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF (IVOG) (<a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=3343&amp;FundIntExt=INT" target="_blank">IVOG summary</a>) has an expense ratio of 0.20% and will directly compete with iShares S&amp;P MidCap 400 Growth (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/ijk#">IJK</a>) which has a 0.25% expense ratio.</li>
<li>Vanguard S&amp;P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF (IVOV) (<a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=3344&amp;FundIntExt=INT" target="_blank">IVOV summary</a>) has an expense ratio of 0.20% and will directly compete with iShares S&amp;P MidCap 400 Value (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/iws#">IWS</a>) which has a 0.25% expense ratio.</li>
<li>Vanguard S&amp;P Small-Cap 600 ETF (VIOO) (<a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=3345&amp;FundIntExt=INT" target="_blank">VIOO summary</a>) has an expense ratio of 0.15% and will directly compete with iShares S&amp;P SmallCap 600 (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/ijr#">IJR</a>) which has a 0.20% expense ratio.</li>
<li>Vanguard S&amp;P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (VIOG) (<a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=3347&amp;FundIntExt=INT" target="_blank">VIOG summary</a>) has an expense ratio of 0.20% and will directly compete with iShares S&amp;P SmallCap 600 Growth (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/ijt#">IJT</a>) which has a 0.25% expense ratio.</li>
<li>Vanguard S&amp;P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF (VIOV) (<a href="https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=3346&amp;FundIntExt=INT" target="_blank">VIOV summary</a>) has an expense ratio of 0.20% and will directly compete with iShares S&amp;P SmallCap 600 Value (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/ijs#">IJS</a>) which has a 0.25% expense ratio.</li>
</ul>
Expense ratios are not the only factor when choosing between ETFs tracking identical indexes.  Other consideration include commissions, dividend payment policies, liquidity, and tracking error:
<ul>
<li>Commissions: the Vanguard ETFs are commission-free for clients of Vanguard and the iShares ETFs listed above are commission-free for clients of Fidelity.  Investors using other firms and anyone trading the SPDR ETFs will have to pay standard brokerage commissions.</li>
<li>Dividend Payment Policy: Vanguard and iShares typically follow the “industry best practice” of paying dividends within four business days of the ex-dividend date.  SPDR has one of the most egregious dividend policies of any ETF sponsor by <a href="http://investwithanedge.com/spy-taking-shareholder-money-via-dividend-float" target="_blank">delaying dividend payments from SPDR S&amp;P 500 (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/spy#">SPY</a>) up to six weeks</a>.</li>
<li>Liquidity: SPY wins the liquidity argument hands down as it typically accounts for <a href="http://investwithanedge.com/etf-stats-for-august-2010-36-7-of-dollar-volume-went-to-spy" target="_blank">more than a third of all ETF dollar volume</a> every month.  The nine competitive products from iShares are all in the top 20% of all ETFs for average dollar volume and assets under management.  The new Vanguard products have some catching up to do in this regard, but based on the success of their other products, this should not be a significant disadvantage for too long.</li>
<li>Tracking Error: The S&amp;P indexes are well understood and all three firms have extensive experience managing products based on them.  The new ETFs will likely own all stocks in the index being tracked and not rely on sampling techniques.  Therefore, any tracking error is likely to be insignificant.</li>
</ul>
When I first saw the ticker symbols for the new Vanguard ETFs, I thought they were just a hodge-podge of letters with Vs and Gs stuck on the end to distinguish Value from Growth.  Then someone pointed out that the letters on the front are derivatives of roman numerals: V for 5 and VOO for S&amp;P 500, IV for 4 and IVOO for S&amp;P 400, VI for 6 and VIOO for S&amp;P 600.  I have them memorized already.
Disclosure covering writer, editor, and publisher:  Long IJH.  No positions in any of the companies or ETF sponsors mentioned.  No income, revenue, or other compensation (either directly or indirectly) received from, or on behalf of, any of the companies or ETF sponsors mentioned.
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VFINX

Vanguard Declares War in Fight for Broad Market ETF Supremacy

The longer I study <a href="http://investwithanedge.com/fidelity-shoots-back-in-etf-brokerage-price-war" target="_blank">Fidelity’s commission-free ETF announcement</a> of last week (2/2/10), the more impressed I become.  This is not a hap-hazard list of ETFs that Fidelity and BlackRock threw together.  It is a solid lineup assembled from what many would consider the best iShares core offerings in domestic equities, international equities, and fixed income ETFs.
The domestic equity lineup includes both the S&amp;P style index offerings familiar to retail investors as well as the Russell stock funds that institutional investors often prefer.  The S&amp;P-based funds include the popular <a href="http://investwithanedge.com/ivv-buying-the-sp-500-without-commissions" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P 500 Index Fund (IVV)</a>.  The Russell-based funds do not include the mid-cap offerings, but the Russell 3000 whole-market ETF is included.
The international lineup has the two grand-daddies of international ETF investing (EFA and EEM) as well as a small cap international and a whole world fund.  The fixed income lineup has a solid representative from each of five major bond sectors.  Last, but not least, is Fidelity’s own Nasdaq Composite ETF (ONEQ).
Below is the complete list of the 26 commission-free ETFs at Fidelity along with their current expense ratio and a link to their overview page with top holdings and other important details:
<h4>Russell Style Box ETFs</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IWV.htm" target="_blank">iShares Russell 3000 Index (IWV)</a> 0.21%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IWD.htm" target="_blank">iShares Russell 1000 Value Index (IWD)</a> 0.20%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IWB.htm" target="_blank">iShares Russell 1000 Index (IWB)</a> 0.15%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IWF.htm" target="_blank">iShares Russell 1000 Growth Index (IWF)</a> 0.20%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IWN.htm" target="_blank">iShares Russell 2000 Value Index(IWN)</a> 0.33%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IWM.htm" target="_blank">iShares Russell 2000 Index (IWM)</a> 0.24%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IWO.htm" target="_blank">iShares Russell 2000 Growth Index (IWO)</a> 0.25%</li>
</ul>
<h4>S&amp;P Style Box ETFs</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IVE.htm" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P 500 Value Index (IVE)</a> 0.18%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IVV.htm" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P 500 Index (IVV)</a> 0.09%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IVW.htm" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P 500 Growth Index (IVW)</a> 0.18%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IJJ.htm" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P Mid Cap 400 Value Index (IJJ)</a> 0.28%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IJH.htm" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P Mid Cap 400 Index (IJH)</a> 0.21%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IJK.htm" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P Mid Cap 400 Growth Index (IJK)</a> 0.25%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IJS.htm" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P Small Cap 600 Value Index (IJS)</a> 0.25%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IJR.htm" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P Small Cap 600 Index (IJR)</a> 0.20%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/IJT.htm" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P Small Cap 600 Growth Index (IJT)</a> 0.25%</li>
</ul>
<h4>International and Global Equity ETFs</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/EFA.htm" target="_blank">iShares MSCI EAFE Index (EFA)</a> 0.35%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/EEM.htm" target="_blank">iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEM)</a> 0.72%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/SCZ.htm" target="_blank">iShares MSCI EAFE Small Cap Index (SCZ)</a> 0.40%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/ACWI.htm" target="_blank">iShares MSCI ACWI Index (ACWI)</a> 0.35%</li>
</ul>
<h4>Fixed Income ETFs</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/AGG.htm" target="_blank">iShares Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund (AGG)</a> 0.24%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/TIP.htm" target="_blank">iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund (TIP)</a> 0.20%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/LQD.htm" target="_blank">iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Fund (LQD)</a> 0.15%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/EMB.htm" target="_blank">iShares JPMorgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Fund (EMB)</a> 0.60%</li>
<li><a href="http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/MUB.htm" target="_blank">iShares S&amp;P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Fund (MUB)</a> 0.25%</li>
</ul>
<h4>Fidelity ETFs</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://content.members.fidelity.com/etf/frame/0,,315912808,00.html?refpr=zwycbetf007" target="_blank">Fidelity Nasdaq Composite Index Tracking Stock (ONEQ)</a> 0.30%</li>
</ul>
Fidelity also <a href="http://personal.fidelity.com/products/trading/index_content.shtml.cvsr" target="_blank">reduced commissions</a> for other ETFs, stocks, and options.
Disclosure covering writer, editor, publisher, and affiliates: Long some positions in this list. No positions in any of the companies or ETF sponsors mentioned.  No income, revenue, or other compensation (either directly or indirectly) received from, or on behalf of, any of the companies or ETF sponsors mentioned.  Our affiliate, <a href="http://www.ccam.com/">Capital Cities Asset Management</a>, uses Fidelity Brokerage Services and Ameritrade Institutional as custodians and brokerage for client accounts.
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ACWI

iShares JPMorgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Fund

iShares S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Fund

Fidelity NASDAQmposite Index Fund ETF-Tracking NASDAQmposite Index

ONEQ

The 26 Commission-Free ETFs at Fidelity

U.S. Equity Factors Continue To Post Wide-Ranging Results In 2020

The S&P 500 (SPY) gained 6.98% in August, but the Dow (DIA) and the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) did even better with gains of 7.77% and 10.94%, respectively. 

August and YTD Asset Class Performance

How has the US stock market performed so far this year? The answer, depends on the definition of "the market." If we're slicing and dicing by factor buckets these days, the possibility of radically different answers has rarely been so stark.

Growth And Momentum Equity Factors Pull Further Ahead

SA Ideas Redux: Readers weighed in on small cap value ETFs. Here's what they thought

Citigroup analysts say the probability is rising for a recovery in the value risk factor, which has trailed the equivalent for growth stocks in recent years. It's anyone's guess if they're right.

Will Value Stocks Overtake Growth Shares After The Election?

Large cap and growth shares have dominated the factor horse race during the US stock market's rebound from the coronavirus crash in May – a trend that carried over from the pre-pandemic period.

Small Cap Equity Factor Gaining On Large Caps And Growth

With Election Day upon us, below we take a look at the biggest winners and losers across financial markets during the Trump Presidency from Election Day 2016 through today.

Winners And Losers During Trump's Presidency

The value factor has fallen on hard times in recent years, prompting debate about whether this risk premium can recover as technology-fueled growth stocks eat the world.

How Unusual Is The Current Drought For The Value Factor?

IJS: Will The Real Small Cap Value ETF Please Stand Up

<a href="https://investorplace.com">InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice &amp; Trading Tips</a>
With U.S. stocks reaching record highs, investors looking to grow their portfolios face a no-win decision: buy stocks at today&rsquo;s high prices or risk missing out on even more gains. At first glance, there seem to be only bad options. Look a little deeper, however, and a third alternative emerges.
What&rsquo;s the alternative? Investors can buy diversified growth index funds instead.
That&rsquo;s because the recent stock market rally hasn&rsquo;t hit everywhere in the world at the same time. The FTSE100, an index of U.K. companies, for instance, sits below its 1999 peak. So when it comes to buying stocks right now, it&rsquo;s about knowing where to look.

		<ul><li>
				<a href="https://investorplace.com/2020/12/7-auto-stocks-to-watch-going-into-2021/">
					7 Auto Stocks to Watch Going Into 2021				</a>
			</li>
				</ul>Here are 7 index funds to buy for diversified growth:
<ul><li>iShares MSCI China ETF (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/mchi-stock-quote/">MCHI</a>)</li>
<li>ProShares MSCI EAFE Dividend Growers (BATS:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/efad-stock-quote/">EFAD</a>)</li>
<li>Invesco S&amp;P500 Equal Weight Tech ETF (NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/ryt-stock-quote/">RYT</a>)</li>
<li>SPDR S&amp;P Biotech ETF (NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/xbi-stock-quote/">XBI</a>)</li>
<li>S&amp;P Small Cap 600 Value ETF (NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/ijs-stock-quote/">IJS</a>)</li>
<li>iShares MSCI Frontier 100 (NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/fm-stock-quote/">FM</a>)</li>
<li>Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/vxus-stock-quote/">VXUS</a>)</li>
</ul>Low stock prices worldwide, compounded with an impending coronavirus recovery, means that investors can still buy fast-growth index funds for cheap. Let&rsquo;s dive in.

<h3>Index Funds To Buy For Diversified Growth: iShares MSCI China ETF (MCHI)</h3>
	<div>
		<img src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/china1600-min-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /><div>Source: Shutterstock</div>
	</div>
	
Chinese companies listed on U.S. exchanges have been on a tear this year. Since January, <a href="https://www.investing.com/equities/china-adrs">the average ADR has returned almost 80%</a>, led by fast-growing companies like Alibaba (NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/baba-stock-quote/">BABA</a>) and Nio (NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/nio-stock-quote/">NIO</a>).&nbsp;The story, however, seems quite different for Chinese companies listed at home. The MSCI China Index is up just 20% since the beginning of the year.
Investors should see this as an opportunity.
That&rsquo;s because the divergence between traditional Shanghai listings and U.S. ADRs should eventually narrow. U.S. listings won&rsquo;t outperform their locally-listed counterparts forever. Already, companies like Ant Financial are looking to list only on the Hong Kong and Shanghai exchanges.
China also looks set to have a good 2021. Though the government&rsquo;s heavy-handed reaction to Covid-19 caused massive short-term pains, the country managed to <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/china/manufacturing-pmi">bring the pandemic under control</a> faster than any major economy.

<h3>ProShares MSCI EAFE Dividend Growers (EFAD)</h3>
	<div>
		<img src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/dividends-1600-300x169.jpg" alt='stock market ticker screen with the word "dividends" appearing in large text' width="300" height="169" /><div>Source: iQoncept/shutterstock.com</div>
	</div>
	
Now, let&rsquo;s get back to more traditional investments: conservative dividend growers. While these stodgy investments might not make you rich overnight, their consistency can help you win over the long run. This tortoise-versus-hare tradeoff has made countless lifelong investors very wealthy.
But there&rsquo;s just one problem. Many of today&rsquo;s high-yielding dividend companies in the U.S. fall into my three least favorite sectors: U.S. financials, energy and real estate (REITs). The coronavirus pandemic has battered these sectors, and their recovery looks long and hard.
That&rsquo;s where ProShares MSCI EAFE Dividend Growers come in.
Unlike the U.S. based Dividend Aristocrat Index (BATS:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/nobl-stock-quote/">NOBL</a>), EFAD follows dividend companies in international developed regions, particularly the Eurozone and Japan. And that means the index tracks a wide range of non-energy companies, such as software maker SAP (NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/sap-stock-quote/">SAP</a>) and drugmaker Novartis (NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/nvs-stock-quote/">NVS</a>). Energy makes up less than 2% of total index holdings.

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				</ul>EFAD&rsquo;s dividend yield also looks good in comparison: 2.89%, compared to the Dividend Aristocrats&rsquo; yield of 2.71%. If that&rsquo;s not tempting, I don&rsquo;t know what is.

<h3>Invesco S&amp;P500 Equal Weight Tech ETF (RYT)</h3>
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		<img src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/tech1600d-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /><div>Source: Shutterstock</div>
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Investors looking for a diversified tech index should consider RYT, the Invesco S&amp;P500 equal-weight tech ETF. It&rsquo;s an index that spreads risk out across 500 different companies.
That&rsquo;s in stark contrast to market-weighted ETFs, which tend to put their eggs all in one basket. The S&amp;P Information Technology ETF, for example, <a href="https://www.ishares.com/uk/individual/en/products/280510/ishares-sp-500-information-technology-sector-ucits-etf?switchLocale=y&amp;siteEntryPassthrough=true">allocates 41% of its fund</a> to Microsoft (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/msft-stock-quote/">MSFT</a>) and Apple (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/aapl-stock-quote/">AAPL</a>). A stumble by either tech giant would quickly send the index crashing down. And why should an investor go through the trouble of buying an ETF with an annual fee when you can buy the individual stock?
That&rsquo;s the reason I&rsquo;m a fan of RYT, which allows investors to own a larger slice of the tech universe. Holders will own a diverse group of companies, ranging from IPG Photonics (NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/ipg-stock-quote/">IPG</a>) to Nvidia (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/nvda-stock-quote/">NVDA</a>).
Now here&rsquo;s the catch: equal-weighted tech index funds typically perform worse than market-weighted funds. That&rsquo;s because, in the tech world, winners tend to keep winning. It&rsquo;s much like buying Apple stock and selling too quickly &mdash; you miss out on the massive gains. But it also means that equal-weighted index funds tend to pick up on younger companies. With tech giant stocks up so much in 2020, it&rsquo;s worthwhile looking into smaller companies as we enter 2021.

<h3>SPDR S&amp;P Biotech ETF (XBI)</h3>
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		<img src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/biotech1600molecule-300x169.jpg" alt="floating molecules representing biotech stocks like SRNE stock" width="300" height="169" /><div>Source: Shutterstock</div>
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Traditional pharmaceutical companies used to dominate healthcare. Names like Pfizer (NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/pfe-stock-quote/">PFE</a>) relied on small-molecule drugs like Viagra to churn out billions in profits. Over the past decade however, healthcare has seen a massive shift towards biotech. Biologic drugs like Humira and Keytruda <a href="https://www.fiercepharma.com/special-report/keytruda-top-20-drugs-by-sales-increase-2020">now dominate their industries</a>.
Nowhere has this been clearer than in the endeavor to develop a coronavirus vaccine. Biotech companies large and small now dominate the race to vaccinate the world against Covid-19.
And 2021 looks to be another phenomenal year for biotech. Not only will successful Covid-19 vaccine makers get rewarded for their research today; the vaccines they make will serve as a platform for future drugs, such as cancer cures and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/17/moderna-says-it-will-begin-developing-a-vaccine-for-seasonal-flu.html">flu vaccines</a>.
So, how can investors know which biotech will win? In short, it&rsquo;s hard to tell unless you specialize in drug research.
For the rest of us, XBI provides a solid entry point. The ETF buys a modified equal weight of biotech companies. That means it spreads risk more widely than its competing ETF, iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/ibb-stock-quote/">IBB</a>), a market-weighted index.

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				</ul>It also means <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/07/two-ways-to-play-the-biotech-boom.html">XBI has a broader exposure to small biotech companies</a> which could potentially grow 100x or more.

<h3>S&amp;P Small Cap 600 Value ETF (IJS)</h3>
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		<img src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/small-cap-ticker-board-300x169.jpg" alt='a ticker board that says "SMALL CAP" among various ticker increases. represents small-cap stocks to buy' width="300" height="169" /><div>Source: Shutterstock</div>
	</div>
	
At the other end of the spectrum, value-seeking investors should consider IJS, an index tracking small-cap value companies in the U.S.
That&rsquo;s because small-cap value companies have two significant catalysts coming in 2021. Firstly, there&rsquo;s the coronavirus vaccine. Even though a return-to-normal might feel years away for those stuck at home, experts believe that vaccines will b<a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/dr-fauci-offers-2021-forecast-covid-19-vaccines-treatments">ecome widely available by mid-2021</a>.
Secondly, the U.S. Senate will likely pass a coronavirus stimulus package in Q1 2021. And as shown by the CARES Act, stimulus packages aimed at consumers and small businesses have a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-stimulus-efforts-show-momentum-11606930258">substantial effect on consumer demand</a>. That&rsquo;s particularly important for smaller companies, which don&rsquo;t have the same access to capital markets as their larger counterparts.
Small companies have also proven themselves to be great investments. According to Jefferies, an investment bank, small-cap companies tend to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/09/small-caps-are-primed-to-outperform-large-caps-over-the-next-decade.html">outperform larger ones by 6% per year</a>. And those small differences add up over time. $1,000 growing at 10% per year will turn into $2,593 after ten years. The same $1,000 growing at 16% will balloon into $4,411.

<h3>iShares MSCI Frontier 100 (FM)</h3>
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		<img src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/international1600b-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /><div>Source: Shutterstock</div>
	</div>
	
Speaking of small companies, even active investors should consider buying shares of FM, the MSCI Frontier Index. That&rsquo;s because this index fund tracks companies based in Frontier Markets &mdash; stocks that most individual investors can&rsquo;t buy individually.
Frontier markets include countries from Vietnam to Kuwait, which are even less developed than emerging markets (including the likes of China, India and Mexico). And growth for these markets looks robust. For example, Vietnam&rsquo;s GDP looks set to grow at 6% in 2021 or three times faster than the U.S.
These developing markets can offer some incredible investment opportunities. Safaricom, Kenya&rsquo;s largest telecom company, posted a <a href="https://citizentv.co.ke/business/safaricom-profit-jumps-ksh-74-7-billion-m-pesa-data-growth-331221">20% earnings growth rate</a> in 2020 as users flocked to its M-Pesa mobile payments platform. Meanwhile, Vietnam Dairy Products has seen local demand grow by <a href="https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2020/01/08/Dairy-majors-investing-as-Vietnam-ramps-up-milk-production">almost 10% per year</a> as the growing Vietnamese middle class finds its taste for milk.

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				</ul>Even better, investors can own these growth companies for cheap. The average FM company has an 11x P/E ratio and a 3% dividend yield. Even if you&rsquo;re not a fan of milk, that&rsquo;s a pretty tasty-looking yield.

<h3>Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS)</h3>
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		<img src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/vanguard-1-300x169.jpg" alt="The Vanguard website is displayed on a laptop screen. vanguard etfs" width="300" height="169" /><div>Source: Casimiro PT / Shutterstock.com</div>
	</div>
	
Finally, investors looking for diversified growth should consider VXUS, an index that tracks companies based outside the U.S. The broad-based index fund covers 6,977 companies, making it one of the most comprehensive in the world.
VXUS provides a good counterbalance for those who already own a lot of U.S. stocks. There are three reasons. Firstly, there&rsquo;s risk mitigation. VXUS has no direct U.S. holdings, so American investors are less likely to double up on companies they already own.
Secondly, this international index is cheap. Its P/E ratio sits at just 16.3x compared to 24.8x in the U.S. Finally, the IMF expects other countries to recover faster than the U.S. in 2021. While U.S. growth might hit 3.1% next year, global growth should <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2020/06/24/WEOUpdateJune2020">outpace the States at 5.4%.</a>
There are also additional benefits to investing in one of the world&rsquo;s largest international ETFs. Thanks to the fund&rsquo;s size, VXUS has an expense ratio of just 0.09%. Rival iShares MSCI ACWI ex US ETF (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/acwx-stock-quote/">ACWX</a>), by comparison, has a 0.40% expense ratio. The average volume for VXUS is also high at almost 3 million shares traded daily, meaning investors can quickly move in and out of the ETF as needed.
With a myriad of choices, investors should have no trouble finding diversified index funds for growth in 2021.
On the date of publication, Tom Yeung did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.
<div>
Tom Yeung, CFA, is a registered investment advisor on a mission to bring simplicity to the world of investing.
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	</div>The post <a href="https://investorplace.com/2020/12/7-index-funds-to-buy-for-diversified-growth-in-2021/">7 Index Funds To Buy For Diversified Growth in 2021</a> appeared first on <a href="https://investorplace.com">InvestorPlace</a>.

7 Index Funds To Buy For Diversified Growth in 2021

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It's been a year of revival so far for the previously trailing small-cap value space in the US stock market.

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