Market Vectors Biotech ETF (NYSEArca: BBH) also leans toward large- and mid-cap companies. With only 26 holdings, its top ten components make up 70.7% of the overall portfolio. The fund is up 21.6% year-to-date. BBH has an expense ratio of 0.35%.
Lastly, the Powershares Dynamic Biotech &Genome ETF (NYSEArca: PBE) offers an active, quantitative approach, based on certain investment criteria like price momentum, earnings momentum, quality, management action and value. PBE is up 8.1% year-to-date. The fund has an expense ratio of 0.65%.
If the current market conditions favor growth in large-cap stocks, it may be better to look to cap-weighted ETFs. For instance, in the technology sector, Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL) makes up a significant portion of tech-based ETFs. However, for those who believe there are a bunch of small companies about to make it big, an equal-weight methodology may be a better play.
For more information on the biotech sector, visit our biotechnology category.
Max Chen contributed to this article.