iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF

QUAL

Market cap $49.2B

Short-term pain for long-term leaders.

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) earns a Hold rating due to its quality focus and relative resilience versus SPY and VOO. QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index, emphasizing high ROE, low earnings variability, and low debt-to-equity across 125 holdings. QUAL has underperformed SPY over recent years but is expected to fare better in market downturns due to lower concentration risk.

The iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF largely reflects the S&P 500's performance, offering only minor deviations via quality screens on ROE, leverage, and earnings volatility. QUAL's sector and top holdings composition largely mirrors SPY, with slightly different weights due to its quality filter but similar market risk and drawdown profile. Despite its quantamental approach, QUAL does not deliver pure quality factor exposure; its performance is essentially market-driven, not isolated from broad equity trends.

"Bloomberg ETF IQ" focuses on the opportunities, risks and current trends tied to the trillions of dollars in the global exchange traded funds industry. Today's guests: Capital Group Head of Global Product Strategy and Development Holly Framsted, State Street Investment Management CEO Yie-Hsin Hung and HDGE ETF Co-Portfolio Manager Brad Lamensdorf.

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Launched on 07/16/2013, the iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend category of the market.

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