Earnings season is winding down, but the First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund (NasdaqGS: QCLN) steps into the earnings spotlight in significant fashion this week.
QCLN was one of last year’s top-performing ETFs due in part to its allocations to Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors (NasdaqGM: TSLA) and SolarCity (NasdaqGM: SCTY). Those stocks currently combine for nearly 16% of QCLN’s weight with Tesla residing as QCLN’s largest holding, positioning QCLN as an ideal “Elon Musk ETF.” [This Alt Energy ETF is Soaring]
“Earnings season is in full swing for ‘green energy’ stocks, with nearly 10% of The NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index by weight expected to report earnings over the next 5 days. The Index easily outperformed nearly all other US equity specialty sectors last year, returning +88.72% in 2013,” according to David Krein, Head of Research, NASDAQ Global Indexes.
Five members of the NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index report results this week with the largest being ON Semiconductor (NasdaqGM: ONNN). That is QCLN’s seventh-largest holding at a weight of almost 4.4%.
In 2013, the NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index “was up +88.72%, outperforming nearly all other competing specialty sector indexes. The WinderHill Clean Energy Index was up just +57.90% and the Ardour Global Index Extra Liquid was up +69.41%,”according to Krein. [The King of Clean Energy Indices]
The index also topped rival clean energy indices over the previous three- and five-year time frames, well below Tesla and SolarCity made their debuts as public companies. Tesla reports earnings on Feb. 17 followed by SolarCity on Feb. 24.
QCLN has $128.2 million in assets under management, nearly $56 million of which flowed into the fund last year.
First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund
