Nasdaq-100 tracker, the mammoth sized ($36.3 billion in AUM) QQQ (PowerShares QQQ Trust, Expense Ratio 0.20%), has caught attention recently and understandably thanks to former leading component ORCL moving from the Nasdaq to the NYSE as well as the upcoming earnings season which sees companies like AAPL, MSFT, GOOG, and AMZN report quarterly results.
Technology as a sector makes up 57.55% of the Nasdaq100 Index with AAPL, MSFT, and GOOG weighing in at north of 26% of the entire index collectively.
Yesterday we saw evidence of put spread buying ahead of earnings season for these companies, which is not entirely out of the ordinary given the strong run in Nasdaq stocks YTD, led predominantly by Tech names outside of AAPL since that stock has been challenged for the past nine months or so. [Nasdaq-100 QQQ ETF in Hot Streak]
Outside of QQQ it makes plenty of sense for investors to zero in on several other Technology oriented funds here as we approach earnings season, including XLK (SPDR Technology Select, Expense Ratio 0.18%), VGT (Vanguard Info Technology, Expense Ratio 0.14%), IYW (iShares DJ U.S. Technology Sector, Expense Ratio 0.48%), FDN (First Trust DJ Internet, Expense Ratio 0.60%), IGV (iShares S&P GSTI Software, Expense Ratio 0.48%), IGM (iShares S&P GSTI Technology, Expense Ratio 0.48%), and IXN (iShares S&P Global Technology Sector, Expense Ratio 0.48%).