Advertisement
UK markets closed
  • FTSE 100

    8,213.49
    +41.34 (+0.51%)
     
  • FTSE 250

    20,164.54
    +112.24 (+0.56%)
     
  • AIM

    771.53
    +3.42 (+0.45%)
     
  • GBP/EUR

    1.1652
    -0.0031 (-0.26%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2550
    +0.0017 (+0.13%)
     
  • Bitcoin GBP

    50,763.80
    -186.25 (-0.37%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,325.58
    +48.60 (+3.81%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,127.79
    +63.59 (+1.26%)
     
  • DOW

    38,675.68
    +449.98 (+1.18%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    77.99
    -0.12 (-0.15%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,310.10
    +1.50 (+0.06%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    38,236.07
    -38.03 (-0.10%)
     
  • HANG SENG

    18,475.92
    +268.82 (+1.48%)
     
  • DAX

    18,001.60
    +105.10 (+0.59%)
     
  • CAC 40

    7,957.57
    +42.92 (+0.54%)
     

Should You Invest in the iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF (IAI)?

Looking for broad exposure to the Financials - Brokers/ Capital markets segment of the equity market? You should consider the iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF (IAI), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 05/01/2006.

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Financials - Brokers/ Capital markets is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 10, placing it in bottom 38%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $422.68 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Financials - Brokers/ Capital markets segment of the equity market. IAI seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Investment Services Index before fees and expenses.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Dow Jones U.S. Select Investment Services Index measures the performance of the investment services sector of the U.S. equity market.

Costs

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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.40%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.84%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

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

Looking at individual holdings, S&p Global Inc (SPGI) accounts for about 14.53% of total assets, followed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS).

The top 10 holdings account for about 69.66% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF has lost about -2.46% so far, and is up roughly 11.10% over the last 12 months (as of 01/08/2024). IAI has traded between $85.18 and $109.10 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.11 and standard deviation of 21.67% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 38 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

IShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF sports a Zacks ETF Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. IAI, then, is not a great choice for investors seeking exposure to the Financials ETFs segment of the market. However, there are better ETFs in the space to consider.

SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF (KCE) tracks S&P Capital Markets Select Industry Index. The fund has $266.31 million in assets. KCE has an expense ratio of 0.35%.

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.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF (IAI): ETF Research Reports

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Morgan Stanley (MS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF (KCE): ETF Research Reports

S&P Global Inc. (SPGI) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research