When the Robo-Stox Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF (NasdaqGS: ROBO) debuted in late October, there was some talk that the fund was too much of a niche-play and lacked the appeal necessary to survive and thrive by accumulating a strong asset base.
ROBO, the first explicit ETF play on the robotics sub-industry, is proving the naysayers wrong. At least for now. The ETF’s sponsor, ROBO-STOX LLC, said ROBO had over $25 million in assets under management as of the end of November. [Interesting New ETFs]
“The rapid accumulation of assets in our exchange-traded fund provides evidence of the overwhelming interest from investors in the worldwide robotics and automation sector,” said Rob Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of ROBO-STOX, in a statement. “As this industry continues to expand its influence in many sectors of the global marketplace, our ETF offers investors the chance to capitalize on the performance of those robotics and automation companies that possess the most promising growth potential.”
Although ROBO has been criticized for being hyper-focused, the ETF is home to some familiar, highly liquid large-cap stocks, including Deere (NYSE: DE) and Intuitive Surgical (Nasdaq: ISRG).
ROBO also has decent exposure, compared to other ETFs, to volatile, high-flying 3D printing stocks. 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) has a weight of over 3% in ROBO.