Active Biblical ETF Debuts

Biblically focused Inspire ETFs rolled out its first active ETF today.

The Inspire Tactical Balanced ESG ETF (RISN) looks to screen out companies with any involvement in abortion, support of abortion rights or support of the LGBT community, as well as involvement in the alcohol, gambling, tobacco or pornography industries or human rights violations.

The fund comes with an expense ratio of 0.84% and lists on the NYSE Arca.

After screening out securities for taboo entanglements, the fund scores companies based on their corporate governance practices; attention to data security and privacy; environmental stewardship; innovation; labor practices; marketing ethics; political action; renewable energy; social impact; and supply chain practices, the prospectus says.

The underlying strategy looks to invest in the most “inspiring, biblically aligned” U.S. equities when the market is in an upward trend but shifts the fund into fixed income and gold exposures when the market is trending down, according to the fund document. The gold exposure is fairly unique, especially for an ESG ETF, and there are very few conventional active ETFs that implement gold as a hedge also.

The launch of RISN brings Inspire’s total lineup to six ETFs, three of which have more than $100 million in assets under management.

iShares Adds To iBonds Family
iShares also launched a new ETF today. The iShares iBonds Dec 2030 Term Treasury ETF (IBTK) joins the iBonds family, which launched earlier this year. The family now includes 10 ETFs covering the years 2021 through 2030.

The fund comes with an expense ratio of 0.07% and lists on the Nasdaq.

The target maturity family of ETFs holds Treasury securities maturing in designated years. The products are often used to effect laddering strategies. Invesco and iShares are the primary competitors in the space.

Contact Heather Bell at [email protected]