Usually, our look at the most searched exchange traded funds for a given week turns up some symmetry, even if it is on multiple fronts.
For example, there have recently been weeks when several Russia ETFs are among the most searched funds on ETF Trends. And there have been instances when scores of dividend ETFs join more volatile international funds among the most searched as investors look income opportunities and shelter from geopolitical headlines. [New Faces Among Most Searched ETFs]
This week brought a surprising mix among the most searched ETFs. Once again, the Market Vectors Russia ETF (NYSEArca: RSX) was the most heavily trafficked single-country ETF, but top honors among global funds go to the iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF (NYSEArca: FM).
FM traded slightly lower on the week, but investors boosted searches of the fund ahead of some important changes, including the eventual departure of Qatar and UAE. While those have been among the world’s top-performing equity markets for over a year, FM’s increased regional and sector diversity could make for a better ETF. That is saying something as FM has gained more than 43% in the less than two years it has been on the market. [Changes Could Make Frontier ETF Better]
Investors now know that Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba will list in the U.S. when it finally commences its initial public offering. Those headlines prompted increase traffic for the KraneShares CSI China Internet Fund (NasdaqGM: KWEB) and the Renaissance IPO ETF (NYSEArca: IPO) because those could be among the first ETFs to add shares of Alibaba. [ETFs for the Alibaba IPO]
There was one unifying theme among some of this week’s most searched ETFs: The hunt for income continues.