The current low interest rate, low yield environment has sent investors scurrying to an array of destinations in an effort to generate income.
Dividend stocks, high-yield bonds, MLPs and REITs remain popular choices for income-staved investors. ETFs that offer one-stop shopping for yield-starved investors, commonly known as multi-asset ETFs, are also becoming part of the income lexicon. [All In One ETFs With Attractive Yields]
Familiar names in the multi-asset ETF space include the space’s largest fund by assets, the Guggenheim Multi-Asset Income ETF (NYSEArca: CVY) and this year’s top asset-gatherer, the First Trust Multi-Asset Dividend Income Index Fund (NasdaqGM: MDIV). In a testament to the popularity of multi-asset ETFs, MDIV is just 10 months old and already has nearly $444 million in assets under management, according to First Trust data.
CVY and MDIV may get a lot of the press, but there are some other, actively managed multi-asset ETFs that merit consideration. For example, the SPDR SSgA Income Allocation ETF (NYSEArca: INKM) is a solid performer that has been flying under the radar. Up 4.6% year-to-date, INKM is 13 months old and has raked in nearly $168 million in assets.
INKM, which has a dividend yield of 3.8%, can be viewed as an ETF fund of funds because the bulk of its 22 holdings are other ETFs issued by State Street Global Advisors. Stocks and investment-grade corporate bonds combine for over 75% of INKM’s weight. [Multi-Asset ETFs For Yield And Stability]
“We’ve seen interest in INKM from taxable institutional pools of assets that want a steady stream of income with tax efficiency,” said Robert Trumbull, head of institutional ETF sales at State Street Global Advisors.
Another under-the-radar multi-asset play is the SPDR SSgA Multi-Asset Real Return ETF (NYSEArca: RLY), which shares the same debut date as INKM. In terms of returns, RLY has been a laggard this year with a 1.6% decline, but the $123.4 million ETF has perked up with a 3.1% gain in the past month.