- (1:30) - The Motivation Behind Life + Liberty Indexes: FRDM
- (4:45) - What Is Freedom Weighting and How Are Holdings Picked?
- (9:50) - Do Countries With Higher Levels of Freedom Produce Higher Returns?
- (13:50) - Quadratic Capital Management: Nancy Davis
- (16:30) - Quadratic Interest Rate Volatility and Inflation Hedge ETF IVOL
- (24:45) - What Can Investors Expect From Interest Rates and Inflation Going Forward
- Podcast@Zacks.com
In this special episode of ETF Spotlight, we celebrate International Women's Day by honoring two brilliant women who are the brains behind two very innovative ETFs.
In the first part, I am joined by Perth Tolle, founder of Life + Liberty Indexes. In the second part, my guest is Nancy Davis, founder of Quadratic Capital Management.
Perth Tolle created the index for the Alpha Architect Freedom 100 Emerging Market ETF FRDM. She was recently named one of the “Ten to Watch in 2020” by Wealth Management Magazine.
Perth believes that countries that treat their citizens better usually outperform over the long term. Her index uses data provided by the Fraser Institute, Cato Institute, and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for calculating freedom scores.
While China accounts for more than 30% of the portfolio in popular EM ETFs, FRDM excludes it. The fund also has no exposure to countries like Russia and Saudi Arabia that have poor freedom and human rights record.
Taiwan and South Korea get highest exposure in the index. Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE:TSM) and Samsung (KS:005930) Electronics (OTC:SSNLF) are its top holdings.
Nancy manages the Quadratic Interest Rate Volatility & Inflation Hedge ETF IVOL. She has recently been named one of the “100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance” by Barron’s.
IVOL made its debut in May last year and has gathered over $95 million in assets. The actively managed fund seeks to hedge relative interest rate movements, and to benefit from market stress when fixed income volatility increases, while providing the potential for enhanced, inflation-protected income.
The ETF mainly holds TIPS and options on the yield curve.
Please tune into the podcast to learn more. Make sure to be on the lookout for the next edition of ETF Spotlight! If you have any comments or questions, please email podcast@zacks.com
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Samsung Electronics Co. (SSNLF): Free Stock Analysis Report
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSM): Free Stock Analysis Report
Quadratic Interest Rate Volatility and Inflation Hedge ETF (IVOL): ETF Research Reports
Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF (FRDM): ETF Research Reports
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Zacks Investment Research