Fidelity Enhanced Mid Cap Core ETF

FMDE

Market cap $7.03B

Active ETFs continue to experience explosive industry growth, and Fidelity is positioning itself as a leader. Fidelity has been long known for its fundamental stock-picking based active strategies, built on a rich heritage of deep company research.

Fidelity Investments just bolstered their Enhanced ETF lineup with four new funds, targeting mid- and small-cap equities with factor tilts. These actively managed funds offer investors sophisticated tools for better-than-passive performance.

2025 has thrown plenty of curveballs at investors, from tariff uncertainty to potential stagflation and many risks in between. That has seen some market segments do well after years of underperformance.

Halftime in 2025 threw a spotlight on active small- and midcap funds via the SPIVA U.S. Mid-Year 2025 report. The trend of active ETF launches is outpacing their passive peers this year.

To some, $1 billion of ETF net inflows is not what it used to be. The U.S. ETF industry has gathered more than $700 billion of net inflows this year and is likely to again break the $1 trillion mark.

As volatility rises, it's hard not to look to investments that can help diversify portfolios. Even ahead of recent market events, significant concentration risk loomed as markets relied heavily on just a handful of firms.

FMDE uses quantitative models to select mid-cap stocks from the Russell Midcap Index, focusing on solid fundamentals and growth potential. The fund has higher exposure to technology and lower allocations to defensive sectors, enhancing growth but increasing volatility during market corrections. Fidelity Enhanced Mid Cap ETF has outperformed the Russell Midcap Index since inception but has higher downside risk during market downturns.

If investors entered 2025 excited by the prospect of rising small caps, they may first want to consider midcaps. Midcap firms offer much of the same upside that small caps do, with some additional benefits from their larger size.

One month into 2025, and ETFs are already off to the races, hauling in over $100 billion in net inflows in January. Hefty gains across the board reflect continued bullish sentiment on the stock market overall.

Cost is one reason why investors may prefer the ETF wrapper over mutual funds for active high-yield bond exposure. ETFs charge shareholders an expense ratio, which pays for fund management and operations.