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Is Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF (RSPT) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF (RSPT - Free Report) debuted on 11/01/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.

Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.

These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $3.23 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Technology ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 EQUAL WEIGHT INFO TECH INDEX .

The S&P 500 Equal Weight Information Technology Index equally weights stocks in the information technology sector of the S&P 500 Index.

Cost & Other Expenses

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.40% for this ETF, which makes it one of the cheaper products in the space.

RSPT's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.50%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector - about 100% of the portfolio.

Taking into account individual holdings, Corning Inc (GLW - Free Report) accounts for about 1.77% of the fund's total assets, followed by Epam Systems Inc (EPAM - Free Report) and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp (CTSH - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 16.75% of RSPT's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF has added about 7.12% so far, and is up roughly 21.51% over the last 12 months (as of 08/13/2024). RSPT has traded between $26.28 and $38.50 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.17 and standard deviation of 23.86% for the trailing three-year period. With about 69 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK - Free Report) tracks Technology Select Sector Index and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF has $65.01 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology ETF has $70.24 billion. XLK has an expense ratio of 0.09% and VGT charges 0.10%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Technology ETFs.

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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