An exchange traded fund that invests in water resources stocks is up 14% so far this year.
“We need water for survival in its most basic definition, as well as for all our other needs such as industry, power and agriculture,”Amy Hardberger, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund, a non-profit organization , said. “Water has been given special status in society,” she said. “While we pay for water, we don’t pay for its actual value. We pay for access to clean water,” Hardberger said, reported by Myra P. Saefong for MarketWatch.
Various water ETFs give exposure to just that– water filtration companies, water treatment, utilities, pipe and pump manufacturing–which is what supports potable water. In the U.S. alone, the cost to repair and expand the drinking water infrastructure may top $1 trillion in the next 25 years. These expenses will get passed onto the consumer through water bills and local fees. [Water ETFs Soak Up Optimistic Industry Growth Forecasts]
PowerShares Water Resource Portfolio (NYSEArca: PHO) focuses in on water real estate, the water industry and the utilities, respectively, as top holdings. The actual water investment is the fourth largest holding, at 13.8%. PowerShares Global Water Portfolio (NYSEArca: PIO) focuses on water real estate, industrials and technology, respectively, with about 4% dedicated to water. The water focused ETFs heavily invest in industry and companies that support or relate to water, rather than the actual element.[Chart of the Day: Water ETFs]
“Most first world nations that have adequate water infrastructure take water for granted, even in drought states” such as California and Texas, he said. Water resources are “grossly undervalued compared to how much the treatment for both drinking water and wastewater costs in terms of infrastructure and operational expenses.”