Daily ETF Watch: Hancock Adds 5 More Funds

John Hancock has rolled out five more smart-beta sector ETFs, which will join the four that it launched last year. Like those ETFs, the new funds come with an expense ratio of 0.50%.

The ETFs that launched today are as follows:

• John Hancock Multifactor Consumer Staples ETF (JHMS)
• John Hancock Multifactor Energy ETF (JHME)
• John Hancock Multifactor Industrials ETF (JHMI)
• John Hancock Multifactor Materials ETF (JHMA)
• John Hancock Multifactor Utilities ETF (JHMU)

These will—like the first batch of Hancock ETFs—track indexes developed and provided by Dimensional Fund Advisors, which is also the subadvisor for the funds. The methodology targets stocks with smaller size, higher relative profitability and lower relative price.

In late September of last year, John Hancock rolled out four sector ETFs, as well as midcap and large-cap ETFs, in its first foray into the ETF space. Those funds and their expense ratios included the following:

John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM), 0.45%

John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML), 0.35%

John Hancock Multifactor Technology ETF (JHMT), 0.50%

John Hancock Multifactor Healthcare ETF (JHMH), 0.50%

John Hancock Multifactor Financials ETF (JHMF), 0.50%

John Hancock Multifactor Consumer Discretionary ETF (JHMC), 0.50%

This latest launch completes the sector family, although, notably, there is no telecommunications fund.

New Environment, Social Tilts

BlackRock’s iShares arm has put two funds into registration that provide exposure to international stocks with “positive environmental, social and governance characteristics,” according to the prospectuses. The ETFs will complement an existing iShares fund, the iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF (KLD | B-86), which has roughly $352 million in assets under management.

The iShares MSCI EM ESG ETF and the iShares MSCI EAFE ESG ETF track indexes that are optimized versions of their parent indexes and designed to maintain similar risk and return characteristics of them. The emerging market fund’s benchmark tends to include primarily consumer discretionary, financials and industrials stocks, while the developed market fund’s benchmark tends to include consumer discretionary, financials and information technology stocks.

The filings did not include tickers, expense ratios or a listing exchange.

Additional Updates

The following Invesco PowerShares ETFs closed as of March 24:

• ALPS Sector Leaders ETF (SLDR)
• ALPS Sector Low Volatility ETF (SLOW)
• ALPS STOXX Europe 600 ETF (STXX)
• Global Commodity Equity ETF (CRBQ)

Contact Heather Bell at [email protected].