Smart Beta ETFs Help Manage Risks, Capture Opportunities in Today's Markets

As the U.S. looks for opportunities in an extended market run, investors may turn to smart beta exchange traded funds that selectively screen for factors to help people manage risks and still capture upside potential.

ETF Trends publisher Tom Lydon spoke with Arne Noack, Director of ETP development Group at Deutsche Asset Management, and Rob Bush, ETF Strategist at Deutsche Asset Management, at the Inside ETFs conference that ran Jan. 22-25, 2017 to talk market opportunities with alternative index-based ETFs.

“What we can see in some of our strategies, and since Trump was elected, is the smaller, mid-sized companies have really taken off,” Noack said. “Even this year, we don’t’ really see that trend ending so far.”

Investors who want greater exposure toward smaller companies can look to the Deutsche X-trackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF (NYSEArca: DEUS), which screens for Russell 1000 components based on five factors of quality, value, momentum, low volatility and size. Due to its smart beta indexing methodology, the underlying index focuses more on mid-sized companies – market capitalization weights include 60.1% mid-cap and 30.4% large-cap.