Is iShares MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target ETF (CRBN) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Launched on 12/08/2014, the iShares MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target ETF (CRBN) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the World ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $508.25 M, making it one of the larger ETFs in the World ETFs. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target Index before fees and expenses.
The MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target Index is designed to address two dimensions of carbon exposure ? carbon emissions and potential carbon emissions from fossil fuel reserves.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for CRBN are 0.20%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.33%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 1.97% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Amazon Com Inc (AMZN).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 10.82% of CRBN's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, CRBN has lost about -5.40%, and is down about -4.43% in the last one year (as of 12/14/2018). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $108.03 and $125.90.
CRBN has a beta of 0.99 and standard deviation of 12.27% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a low risk choice in the space. With about 1360 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the World ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF (SUSA) tracks MSCI USA ESG Select Index and the iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social ETF (DSI) tracks MSCI KLD 400 Social Index. IShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF has $827.89 M in assets, iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social ETF has $1.21 B. SUSA has an expense ratio of 0.25% and DSI charges 0.25%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the World 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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ISHARS-M L CRBN (CRBN): ETF Research Reports
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
ISHARS-KLD 400 (DSI): ETF Research Reports
ISHARS-USA ESG (SUSA): ETF Research Reports
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