Contrary to its ill-repute, August was reasonably pleasant for Wall Street with key indexes like SPDR S&P 500 ETF SPY, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF DIA and Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ adding about 3.2%, 2.5% and 5% (as of Aug 30, 2018).
While some segments of the broader market went through the roof, some were hit hard. We thus highlight a few top-and-worst-performing ETFs of the month.
Best-Performing ETFs
ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF MJ – Up 24.7%
Thanks to Canada’s legalization of recreational marijuana starting Oct 17, 2018, its cannabis industry has been on a tear this month as renowned beverage companies are taking interest in it.
U.S.-based Constellation Brands STZ expanded its stake in the biggest listed cannabis company Canopy Growth Corporation CGC, while news of U.K.-based liquor maker Diageo Plc DEO of getting into discussions with at least three Canadian cannabis companies to buy a stake or form a partnership has been doing the rounds (read: Pot Stocks Are on a High: Play These Cannabis ETFs).
Earlier this month, the Canadian arm of Molson Coors Brewing Co. and Quebec-based pot producer Hydropothecary Corp. announced plans of making non-alcoholic, cannabis-infused beverages owing to a slowdown in beer sales in North America.
ARK Genomic Revolution Multi-Sector ETF ARKG – Up 17.6%
This is an actively managed ETF focusing on companies that are expected to benefit from enhancement of the quality of human and other life by integrating technological and scientific developments in genomics into their business (read: 8 ETFs Up More Than 25% YTD).
About 25.2% of the fund goes to gene therapy followed by 16% in targeted therapeutics, 15.5% in instrumentation, 14.8% in beyond DNA and 11.3% in bioinformatics. This is a fast-growing industry as the fund’s factsheet shows “by 2022, the cost of sequencing the DNA of a full human genome should drop below $100.” This shows the extent of research and advancement in this field.
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