State Street's XLF or First Trust's FTXO: Which Financial ETF Is the Better Long-Term Buy?
XLF charges just 0.08% annually versus FTXO's 0.60%, but FTXO's concentrated bank portfolio delivered 24% returns over the past year.
Overview
Investors choosing between State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLF) and First Trust Nasdaq Bank ETF (NASDAQ:FTXO) must weigh the cost efficiency of a broad-market financial fund against a concentrated, high-conviction play on the U.S. banking industry.
Both funds offer targeted exposure to financial markets, but they differ significantly in scope. While the First Trust fund hones in on the US banking sub-sector using a smart-beta approach, the State Street fund tracks the entire financial segment of the S&P 500, offering a more diversified and liquid entry point.
Details
Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from monthly returns over the available fund history (up to five years). The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Dividend yield is the trailing-12-month distribution yield.
Source
Originally published at www.fool.com.