Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. of Toronto has launched two more exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the Canadian market, bringing its total to four.
The two new Franklin LibertyQT are strategic beta ETFs, each based on customized, rules-based indices grounded in both fundamental and quantitative analysis. The indices apply four factor weightings: quality (50%), value (30%), momentum (10%) and low volatility (10%).
The two strategic beta ETFs, which began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange Monday, are:
> Franklin LibertyQT U.S. Equity Index ETF, which seeks to replicate the performance of the LibertyQ U.S. Large Cap Equity Index, before fees and expenses. It invests primarily in equity securities of large- and mid-capitalization U.S. issuers.
> Franklin LibertyQT International Equity Index ETF, which seeks to replicate the performance of the LibertyQ International Equity Index, before fees and expenses. It invests primarily in equity securities of issuers located in developed markets, excluding the U.S. and Canada.
“Joining our initial offering of two actively managed ETFs that began trading on May 30, our Franklin LibertyQT strategic beta ETFs will provide Canadian investors with U.S. and international equity options for their portfolios,” Duane Green, president and CEO of Franklin Templeton Investments Canada said in a release. “Our dedicated team of specialized ETF experts applies research-driven insights to traditional index investing to pursue specific investment outcomes via these new strategic beta ETF offerings.”
Read: Franklin Templeton’s new ETFs hit the market
The multi-factor approach to strategic beta ETFs is designed with the intention of provided better returns and reduced risk over the long term relative to a market capitalization weighted approach, as different factors outperform at various stages of the market cycle.
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