Is iShares MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target ETF (CRBN) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The iShares MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target ETF (CRBN) made its debut on 12/08/2014, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides 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.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
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.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
CRBN is managed by Blackrock, and this fund has amassed over $524.48 M, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the World ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target Index.
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
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.20%.
CRBN's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.21%.
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.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 2.66% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Amazon Com Inc (AMZN).
The top 10 holdings account for about 12.19% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 2.55% so far this year and was up about 18.99% in the last one year (as of 02/19/2020). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $113.28 and $133.75.
CRBN has a beta of 0.98 and standard deviation of 11.91% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a low risk choice in the space. With about 1384 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 ESG MSCI EM ETF (ESGE) tracks MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Focus Index and the iShares ESG MSCI USA ETF (ESGU) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index. IShares ESG MSCI EM ETF has $2.13 B in assets, iShares ESG MSCI USA ETF has $3.72 B. ESGE has an expense ratio of 0.25% and ESGU charges 0.15%.
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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iShares MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target ETF (CRBN): ETF Research Reports
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares ESG MSCI EM ETF (ESGE): ETF Research Reports
iShares ESG MSCI USA ETF (ESGU): ETF Research Reports
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