While he was campaigning, President Donald Trump’s pledge to spend $1 trillion shoring up U.S. infrastructure needs was seen as a potential catalyst for the related exchange traded funds. Still, it could take some time for infrastructure ETFs to see the full benefit of Trump’s still nascent infrastructure plans.
Outside the U.S., countries are already allocating money toward infrastructure projects. For instance, Japan has invested $100 billion for roads, bridges, railways and other building projects in Asia. China has already stated it will put billions into a so-called Silk Road infrastructure project to connect Asian economies.
ETF investors can also tap into the sector through a number of options. For instance, the iShares Global Infrastructure ETF (NYSEArca: IGF) and SPDR S&P Global Infrastructure ETF (NYSEArca: GII) track the S&P Global Infrastructure Index.
“Investors poured a net $320 million in November and December into BlackRock Inc.’s iShares Global Infrastructure ETF, the largest exchange-traded fund in the category. It tracks the S&P Global Infrastructure Index and has climbed about 19 percent in the past 12 months yet investors pulled almost $100 million in January, according to Morningstar estimates,” reports Bloomberg.
The American Society of Civil Engineers calculated that the U.S. will fall $1.44 trillion short of the $3.32 trillion required to inves tin infrastructure through 2025.
According to Trump’s book, “Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again,” he has called for a “trillion-dollar rebuilding program” that will be “one of the biggest projects this country has ever undertaken.”