WisdomTree Revamps Real Estate ETF

WisdomTree’s $55 million WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Fund (DRW) has undergone a makeover. Whereas until now it has tracked a dividend-weighted index of international real estate companies, the fund has been given a new name, index and ticker as its focus has shifted toward companies deriving most of their revenue from technology-focused real estate operations. 

“From the rise in e-commerce sales necessitating the build out of supply chain infrastructure to the pandemic accelerating the existing robust and growing need for data storage, it’s clear technology-focused businesses within real estate have only grown in their impact,” WisdomTree Chief Investment Officer Jeremy Schwartz said of the ETF’s shift in strategy. 

The WisdomTree New Economy Real Estate Fund (WTRE) tracks the CenterSquare New Economy Real Estate Index, which selects its companies from developed markets. Eligible components must meet minimum size and liquidity requirements and generate at least 75% of their revenue from real-estate-related activities that serve the research and development, technology, telecommunications or life sciences industries, according to related documentation.  

A press release notes that the fund looks to capture exposure to megatrends such as cloud computing; 4G and 5G connectivity; logistics; and life sciences.  

The index’s weightings incorporate each company’s market capitalization and technology exposure (which is captured by a proprietary scoring system), as well as growth and valuation rankings. Individual company weightings are capped at 7.5% of the total index.  

WTRE is similar in focus to the $1.4 billion Pacer Benchmark Data & Infrastructure Real Estate SCTR ETF (SRVR), though it takes a more expansive view. SRVR launched in 2018 and focuses specifically on U.S. real estate companies that serve the data and technology infrastructure spaces—think data centers and communication towers. SRVR comes with an expense ratio of 0.60%, while WTRE charges 0.58%.  

Contact Heather Bell at [email protected]