SMI 3Fourteen Full-Cycle Trend ETF

FCTE

Market cap $237M

SMI 3Fourteen Full-Cycle Trend ETF takes a proprietary "Full Cycle Trend" approach to select 20 U.S. stocks based on quality, trend, and momentum screens, among others. Its expense ratio is high at 0.85%. My initial coverage from October was reasonably positive, though I maintained a healthy degree of skepticism, as is appropriate for such a new and highly active ETF. I was prepared for high turnover, but what I wasn't expecting was such a dramatic change in portfolio fundamentals. Unfortunately, most of the changes were negative.

FCTE is an actively managed vehicle with a strategy designed "to identify and own stocks that can outperform the S&P 500 across the entire market cycle." It has a portfolio of just 20 stocks. Adjustments are made monthly as "the screens are rerun." FCTE's factor mix is currently heavy in quality, light in value, with adequate growth exposure. Consumer staples, energy, utilities, and real estate are ignored.

I own a small position in the SMI 3Fourteen Full-Cycle Trend ETF. The Fund aims to outperform the S&P 500 over the full investment cycle, using a proprietary "Full-Cycle Trend" strategy which targets high-quality large-cap companies. The Fund does not have a track record, has a relatively high expense ratio, and is dependent on the success of its proprietary investment strategy.

FCTE is an actively managed large-cap blend ETF with a 0.85% expense ratio and $469 million in AUM. Selecting only 20 holdings each month, it's an exciting, high-conviction play. Since September 1996, the strategy has outperformed the S&P 500 by nearly 6% per year. I'll break down those numbers to give investors a better idea of what to expect. This article takes a comprehensive look at FCTE's fundamentals compared to SPY and three other peers. I identified one significant advantage which could lead to long-term alpha.

FCTE is an actively managed ETF attempting to outsmart the S&P 500 by betting on its 20 most promising constituents. It is supposed to rebalance the portfolio monthly. Since its debut in July, FCTE has amassed $308.6 million in AUM and beaten IVV and QQQ. FCTE has an earnings yield higher than that of IVV, plus mostly stronger quality. Its growth proposition is weaker.

This week opened with a deluge of 15 new ETFs on Monday, with only a single launch occurring after that. Perhaps the most notable of the debuts was the first buffer ETF from iShares.