The All Cap Blend style ranks second out of the twelve fund styles as detailed in our 1Q18 Style Ratings for ETFs and Mutual Funds report. Last quarter, the All Cap Blend style ranked second as well. It gets our Attractive rating, which is based on an aggregation of ratings of 99 ETFs and 793 mutual funds in the All Cap Blend style as of January 16, 2018 See a recap of our 4Q17 Style Ratings here.

Figures 1 and 2 show the five best and worst rated ETFs and mutual funds in the style. Not all All Cap Blend style ETFs and mutual funds are created the same. The number of holdings varies widely (from 3 to 4660). This variation creates drastically different investment implications and, therefore, ratings. ] We think advisors and investors focused on prudent investment decisions should include analysis of fund holdings in their research process for ETFs and mutual funds.

100 million for inadequate liquidity. 100 million and do not meet our liquidity minimums. 100 million for inadequate liquidity. 100 million and do not meet our liquidity minimums. WisdomTree Trust: Dynamic Bearish US Equity Fund (DYLS) is the top-rated All Cap Blend ETF and Hennessy Funds Trust: Cornerstone Large Growth Fund (HILGX) is the top-rated All Cap Blend mutual fund. Both earn a Very Attractive rating. ProShares Trust: Ultra Oil & Gas (DIG) is the worst rated All Cap Blend ETF and ProFunds: Europe 30 ProFund (UEPSX) is the worst rated All Cap Blend mutual fund.

Both earn a Very Unattractive rating. Buying a fund without analyzing its holdings is like buying a stock without analyzing its business and finances. Put another way, research on fund holdings is necessary due diligence because a fund’s performance is only as good as its holdings’ performance. Don’t just take our word for it, see what Barron’s says on this matter. Analyzing each holding within funds is no small task.

Technology may be the only solution to the dual mandate for research: cut costs and fulfill the fiduciary duty of care. Investors, clients, advisors and analysts deserve the latest in technology to get the diligence required to make prudent investment decisions. Figures 3 and 4 show the rating landscape of all All Cap Blend ETFs and mutual funds.

Disclosure: David Trainer, Peter Apockotos, and Kyle Guske II receive no compensation to write about any specific stock, style, or theme. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and StockTwits for real-time alerts on all our research. ] Ernst & Young’s recent white paper “Getting ROIC Right” proves the superiority of our holdings research and analytics. Click here to download a PDF of this report. New Constructs offers forensic-accounting reports to help investors, traders, and advisors make informed decisions. Find the research in Thomson ONE.

The popularity of ETFs in recent years had led to an explosion in available investment choices, from the traditional index-based ETF to specialized ETFs for particular sectors such as precious metals, energy and agricultural products. ETFs are poised to become even more prevalent as many institution that offer employer-based 401(k) retirement plans now offer ETFs to plan participants. And, of course, all best online ETF brokers in United States offer all these exchange traded funds for trading. As with any investment product, there are risks inherent in investing, as investors active in the market over the past ten years can attest. Nevertheless, the advantages of ETFs make it a smart move to consider them when building your investment portfolio.

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It seems that the emerging market (EM) rally is over, at least for some time. The segment nicely survived last year’s Fed rate hike cycle. Broader emerging market fund iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM - Free Report) returned 35.6% in 2017, marking its best year since 2009, thanks to a subdued greenback and synchronized global growth.

But the story appears to be changing now. PowerShares DB US Dollar Bullish ETF (UUP - Free Report) was up 3.4% in the last one month (as of May 7, 2018). As a result, EEM is down about 2% this year. Last week, U.S.-based emerging market equity funds have seen their “first weekly outflows of the year”, according to Reuters (read: Dollar ETFs Bounce Back: Can the Rally Continue,).