How Will This New Cybersecurity ETF Respond to the Microsoft Hack? March 8, 2021
Over the weekend, news broke that tens of thousands of Microsoft customers were victims of a cyber attack with ties to China. The latest large-scale hack could bring opportunity for investors with the newly minted
WCBR, which debuted in January, tracks the WisdomTree Team8 Cybersecurity Index. That benchmark “is designed to track the performance of companies primarily involved in providing cyber security-oriented products that meet Index eligibility requirement,” according to WisdomTree.
WCBR has utility as a long-term play for tactical investors corporations and governments are diverting more and more funds to fight the growing number of cyberattacks.
March 8, 2021
The technology sector is traditionally a low-yield space, but it’s the biggest dividend-paying sector in the S&P 500 in dollar terms, plus it’s home to ample payout growth.
Those positive traits highlight the case for the
Recent data confirm that the technology sector is an increasingly prominent part of the dividend growth landscape.
“Technology stocks have steadily increased their contribution to the overall dividends paid out by S&P 500 companies, reflecting their impressive growth and increasingly crucial position as a linchpin of the global economy,” reports Lawrence Strauss for
. “At the end of March 2018, the tech sector accounted for about 15% of the dividends paid by the companies in that index, according to S&P 500 Dow Jones Indices. Two and half years later, at the end of last year’s third quarter, it had risen to 18.4%.”
When it comes to sustainability, money managers have vastly different takes on how to view ESG investments.
For example, BlackRock believes companies that respect the climate ought to be more expensive but aren’t, so there is an opportunity for bargain hunters to get in before valuations rise, James Mackintosh writes for the Wall Street Journal.
On the other hand, DWS views companies with positive environmental, social, and governance characteristics as already expensive after the recent run-up, but they will continue to be a good play since many will have more cash flow for buybacks.
Meanwhile, Amundi, Europe’s biggest money manager, argues that ESG-positive stocks are both more expensive, but also deserve to be more expensive still.
Not Seeing the Love in February? 2 iShares ETFs for March March 8, 2021
Inflation fears and rising yields mean investors haven’t gotten much love from the markets post-Valentine’s Day. That said, investors can strategically position their portfolios for March with a pair of iShares funds through the
Both funds recently made Forbes list of top dividend ETFs for March. Despite rising yields in safe haven Treasury notes, these ETFs can help investors stay steps ahead of still relatively low government yields in comparison.
HDV seeks to track the investment results of the Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index composed of relatively high dividend paying U.S. equities. The fund generally will invest at least 90% of its assets in the component securities of the underlying index and may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash, and cash equivalents.