NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Guggenheim Investments, the global asset management and investment advisory business of Guggenheim Partners, today announced the launch of Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Real Estate ETF (EWRE). The ETF tracks the newly created S&P 500 Equal Weight Real Estate Index, which equally weights the index constituents in the S&P 500 that are classified in the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®) Real Estate Industry Group with an emphasis on exchange-traded equity REITs and real estate management and development companies, and excluding Mortgage REITs.
"Recognizing that real estate is evolving into a separate asset class as a result of its growing importance to advisors and investors searching for income and capital appreciation and underscoring our firm's commitment to providing clients with innovative investment solutions, Guggenheim is first to market today with a new equal-weighted sector ETF which could have considerable impact on portfolio planning and research," said William Belden, Managing Director of Product Development for Guggenheim Investments.
The new real estate sector includes equity REITs and real estate management and development companies. Mortgage REITs, which facilitate the financing of commercial and residential real estate, will remain in the financials sector. On September 16, 2016, S&P Dow Jones will implement the GICS real estate sector change as a part of their annual index rebalancing.
"There are several reasons real estate can be considered an attractive asset class," Belden said.
"First, real estate securities offer potentially attractive long-term total returns coming from both capital appreciation and higher-than-average income when compared to other equities. Second, EWRE's underlying portfolio will be comprised primarily of equity REITs, which have a history of providing consistent, above-average dividends which can be used to meet current income needs or reinvested to accumulate wealth. Also, investing in real estate securities can be used as a hedge against inflation."
EWRE becomes the 15th equal-weighted ETF in Guggenheim's product line.
Guggenheim pioneered the concept of strategic beta with the launch of Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) in April 2003. The Firm's strategic beta ETFs assets totaled $18.7 billion as of July 31, 2015.
"The time-tested equal weight strategy can help long-term performance by reducing the bias towards the largest individual companies within a particular cap-weighted strategy," Belden said. "An equal-weight approach also may enhance portfolio diversification by reducing concentration risk often found in cap-weighted indices and provide a more balanced exposure across market capitalizations."
For more information, please visit http://www.guggenheiminvestments.com/etf or call 888.WHY.ETFs to speak to a representative.
About Guggenheim Investments
Guggenheim Investments is the global asset management and investment advisory division of Guggenheim Partners, with $206 billion1 in assets across fixed income, equity, and alternative strategies. We focus on the return and risk needs of insurance companies, corporate and public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, consultants, wealth managers, and high-net-worth investors. Our 275+ investment professionals perform rigorous research to understand market trends and identify undervalued opportunities in areas that are often complex and underfollowed. This approach to investment management has enabled us to deliver innovative strategies providing diversification and attractive long-term results.
1Guggenheim Investments total asset figure is as of 06.30.2015 and includes $12.1bn of leverage for Assets Under Management and $0.4bn for assets for which Guggenheim provides administrative services. Values from some funds are based upon prior periods. Guggenheim Investments represents the following affiliated investment management businesses: Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, Security Investors, LLC, Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC, Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC, Guggenheim Aviation Partners, LLC, Guggenheim Real Estate, LLC, Transparent Value Advisors, LLC, GS GAMMA Advisors, LLC, Guggenheim Partners Europe Limited and Guggenheim Partners India Management.
RISK CONSIDERATIONS
Guggenheim S&P 500® Equal Weight Real Estate ETF may not be suitable for all investors. • Investing in sector funds is more volatile than investing in broadly diversified funds, as there is a greater risk due to the concentration of the fund's holdings in issuers of the same or similar offerings. These funds are considered non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of their assets in securities of individual issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of fund shares than would occur in a more diversified fund. The performance of real estate companies has historically been cyclical and particularly sensitive to the overall economy and market changes, including declines in the value of real estate or, conversely, saturation of the real estate market, economic downturns and defaults by borrowers or tenants during such periods, increases in competition, possible lack of mortgage funds or other limits to accessing the credit or capital markets, and changes in interest rates.
The funds or securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices, and S&P Dow Jones Indices bears no liability with respect to any such funds or securities or any index on which such funds or securities are based. The prospectus contains a more detailed description of the limited relationship S&P Dow Jones Indices has with Guggenheim Investments and any related funds.
Read a fund's prospectus and summary prospectus (if available) carefully before investing. It contains the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information, which should be considered carefully before investing. Obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus (if available) at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or call 800.820.0888.
The referenced fund is distributed by Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC. Guggenheim Investments represents the investment management businesses of Guggenheim Partners ("Guggenheim"), which includes Security Investors, LLC ("SI"), the investment advisor to the referenced fund. Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC is affiliated with Guggenheim and SI.