Fidelity Investments has responded to the rising demand for factor-based strategies and increased interest for international equity exposure, launching two new smart beta ETFs.
On Thursday, Fidelity rolled out the Fidelity International High Dividend ETF (NYSEArca: FIDI) and Fidelity International Value Factor ETF (NYSEArca: FIVA), which both come with a 0.39% expense ratio.
“We believe factor investing is an important factor in the ETF world and are able to provide precise tools for investors,” Greg Friedman, head of ETF management and strategy at Fidelity, told ETF Trends in a call.
Friedman explained that the two new ETFs came about due to increased interest among Fidelity clients. Investors were looking for factor-based investments and were also seeking out international exposure away from the U.S. Consequently, FIDI and FIVA came about to meet both of those two needs.
“Many investors have expressed strong interest in international dividend and value factor strategies,” Friedman said. “These new ETFs, which will help us address that demand, benefit from our powerful research capabilities and decades of investing experience and expertise and provides great value to investors.”
The International High Dividend ETF tries to reflect the performance of the Fidelity International High Dividend Index, which is designed to reflect the performance of stocks of large- and mid-cap developed international high dividend-paying companies that are expected to continue to pay and grow their dividends, according to a prospectus sheet.
Top holdings include Engie 3.6%, Vodafone 3.3%, Royal Dutch Shell 3.1%, EDP Energias de Portugal 2.7% and Telefonica SA 2.5%.
The International Value Factor ETF tries to reflect the performance of the Fidelity International Value Factor Index, which is designed to reflect the performance of stocks of large- and mid-cap developed international companies that have attractive valuations, according to a separate prospectus sheet.
Top holdings include Royal Dutch Shell 2.0%, Toyota Motor 1.7%, Royal Mail 1.7%, Deutsche Lufthansa 1.7% and Novartis 1.6%.
For more information on new fund products, visit our new ETFs category.