First Trust Latin America AlphaDEX® ETF’s management team is rated Average, but a solid investment process still helps this strategy retain its Morningstar Medalist Rating of Silver. The portfolio maintains a sizable cost advantage over competitors, priced within the second-cheapest fee quintile among peers.  

 The strategy's effective investment philosophy supports an Above Average Process Pillar rating. Independent of the rating, analysis of the strategy's portfolio shows it has maintained a significant underweight position in liquidity exposure and an overweight in momentum exposure compared with category peers. Low liquidity risk exposure is attributed to stocks with a low trading volume, limiting managers' flexibility. And momentum exposure is rooted in holding stocks currently on a winning streak. The strategy’s management team earns an Average People Pillar rating. The strategy's parent organization earns the firm an Average Parent Pillar rating. People Pillar and Parent Pillar ratings for this strategy are indirectly assigned by a Morningstar analyst rather than algorithmically derived. Please see the notes following each pillar section for more details. The details of assigning methods can be found in each pillar section.

Analyst Rating

IQVIA Hlds

Nu Holdings

Aberdeen Standard Bloomberg All Commodity Strategy K-1 Free ETF

PagSeguro Digital

Credicorp

StoneCo

Morningstar's evaluation of this security's process aims to determine the likelihood that it will outperform its Morningstar Category benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. First Trust Latin America AlphaDEX® Fund earns an Above Average Process Pillar rating. 

The most important driver of the rating is the fund's impressive long-term risk-adjusted performance. This can be seen in its five-year alpha calculated relative to the category average, which suggests that the managers have shown skill in their allocation of risk. This fund tracks an index, which also increases its process rating. Historical data, such as Morningstar's Active/Passive Barometer, shows that passively managed funds have generally outperformed their active counterparts, especially over longer time horizons. Lastly, the process is limited by the parent firm's five-year risk-adjusted success ratio of 29%. The measure indicates the percentage of a firm's funds that survived and beat their respective category's median Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return for the period. The parent's relatively low success ratio suggests that the firm could do better across its fund lineup.

 This strategy tends to pick smaller market-cap firms compared with the average fund in its peer group, the Latin America Stock Morningstar Category.  But in terms of style (value/growth) exposure, it does not have much of a bias and resembles the category's typical portfolio. Examining additional factor exposure, this strategy continually held some stocks with low trading volume over the last few years. Less-liquid stocks might offer strong returns to compensate for their risks, but they can be harder and more expensive to trade in bear markets. In the latest month, the strategy was also less exposed to the Liquidity factor compared with Morningstar Category peers. This strategy has also had more exposure to high-momentum stocks in recent years. Momentum strategies wager that market outperformers will continue to outperform, and laggards will continue to lag. Higher exposure to the former could mean the managers are overweighting stocks on winning streaks. Compared with category peers, the strategy also had more exposure to the Momentum factor in the most recent month. Additionally, this strategy has exhibited a tilt toward low-volatility stocks in these years, meaning companies with a lower historical standard deviation of returns over its peers. These companies have historically been a valuable ballast to steady portfolio returns during market downturns. In recent months, the strategy also had less Volatility factor exposure than its peers. More information on a fund and its respective category's factor exposure can be found in the Factor Profile module within the Portfolio section. 

 The portfolio is overweight in consumer cyclical and consumer defensive relative to the category average by 5.4 and 5.1 percentage points, respectively. The sectors with low exposure compared to category peers are financial services and energy, underweight the average by 6.1 and 5.5 percentage points of assets, respectively. The strategy owns 54 securities and its assets are more dispersed than the typical peer in the category. In the most recent disclosure, 33.1% of the strategy's assets were concentrated in the top 10 fund holdings, compared to the category’s 39.1% average.

Above Average

Process

First Trust’s team is valuable but does not stand out as one of the industry's best, warranting an Average People Pillar rating. There’s a sizable bench of seven managers listed on the fund. The team is well equipped, with an average of 22 years of portfolio management experience. Together, they manage a total of 108 strategies, with solid long-term prospects. The strategies average a Bronze asset-weighted Morningstar Medalist Rating, indicating a position to deliver positive alpha relative to the category median in aggregate. This group has successfully retained management talent, with no departures in the past five years. 

 Note: This People Pillar rating is indirectly assigned by an analyst. Morningstar analysts evaluate the People Pillar for passive products at the brand level and may also differentiate by asset class. There is at least one other passive strategy at the firm that is covered by a Morningstar analyst, so the People Pillar rating of the fund is inherited from the rating that the Morningstar analyst assigned to investment vehicles under the same brand name.

Average

People

First Trust meets the industry standard for stewardship, but it could do more to align itself with investors. It earns an Average Parent rating.

This is a team-oriented organization that eschews star managers. While exchange-traded funds represent the bulk of the firm's assets, First Trust bypasses the competitive market for low-cost beta funds, instead opting for complex strategies with higher management fees. However, the firm's focus on ETFs for future product development underpins its commitment to tax efficiency and transparency. Some of its thematic strategies appear trendy, but it stands behind them and rarely liquidates funds. 

The firm is a private partnership, controlled by Jim Bowen, the CEO. Many senior managers are limited partners. This ownership structure helps the firm stay focused on the long term and promotes retention, which has been strong for the investment team. The firm has grown considerably over the past decade and is among the largest providers of actively managed ETFs, as well as unit investment trusts. As it has grown, the firm has expanded its investment team and beefed up its technology infrastructure.

First Trust's focus is on educating advisors and providing them solutions. This may benefit investors indirectly, but First Trust could do more to directly align with investors by cutting fees and limiting trendy strategies.

Parent

First Trust Latin America AlphaDEX Fund

FLN tracks an index of Latin American firms screened based on a proprietary methodology, using various factors and weighted in tiers.

CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF

Xtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF

Xtrackers Harvest CSI 500 China A-Shares Small Cap ETF

Xtrackers MSCI China A Inclusion Equity ETF

VanEck Vectors Brazil Small-Cap ETF

Direxion Daily MSCI Brazil Bull 2X Shares

ProShares UltraShort MSCI Brazil Capped

VanEck China Bond ETF

Global X China Biotech Innovation ETF

Global X MSCI China Communication Services ETF

Global X China Energy ETF

Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF

Global X China Industrials

Global X MSCI China Information Technology ETF

Global X China Materials ETF

Global X China Consumer ETF

Global X MSCI China Real Estate ETF

Global X MSCI China Consumer Staples ETF

Global X MSCI China Utilities ETF

Global X China Financials ETF

Loncar China Biopharma ETF

Xtrackers MSCI All China Equity ETF

VanEck Vectors ChinaAMC SME-ChiNext ETF

iShares MSCI China A ETF

Invesco China Technology ETF

WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund

iShares MSCI China Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF

iShares MSCI Mexico ETF

iShares MSCI Brazil ETF

iShares MSCI Brazil Small-Cap ETF

First Trust Brazil AlphaDEX Fund

First Trust China AlphaDEX Fund

Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF

Franklin FTSE China ETF

Franklin FTSE Hong Kong ETF

Franklin FTSE Latin America ETF

Franklin FTSE Mexico ETF

Franklin FTSE Taiwan ETF

iShares China Large-Cap ETF

ProShares UltraShort FTSE China 50

SPDR S&P China ETF

iShares Latin America 40 ETF

KraneShares MSCI All China Index ETF

KraneShares Bosera MSCI China A Share ETF

KraneShares Bloomberg China Bond Inclusion Index ETF

KraneShares CICC China 5G & Semiconductor Index ETF

Kraneshares MSCI China Environment Index ETF

KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 Index ETF

KraneShares Hang Seng Tech Index ETF

KraneShares MSCI All China Health Care Index ETF

KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF

iShares MSCI China ETF

Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares

Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF

Rayliant Quantamental China Equity ETF

Templeton Dragon Fund

ProShares Ultra FTSE China 50

Direxion Daily FTSE China Bear 3X Shares

Direxion Daily FTSE China Bull 3X Shares

ProShares Short FTSE China 50

China and Hong Kong markets had a humbling 2023 with equities down more than 10%. Beijing has also begun stepping up tourism and travel promotions, granting visa-free entry to 11 countries, with Singapore and Thailand the latest to be included.

Enter The Dragon: Parsing Lunar New Year Opportunities Among Emerging Markets

iShares MSCI Argentina & Global Exposure ETF

Global X MSCI Argentina ETF

Argentina's official election isn't until October. However, Libertarian economist Javier Milei's big upset in the August primary suggests the South American country could soon have a new president.

Argentina Stocks Could See a Turnaround, but ETF Choices Are Limited

Ambev

iShares MSCI Peru ETF

Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV

Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB de CV

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.

Petroleo Brasileiro

Southern Copper

Vale S.A.

The MSCI Latin America Index has performed better than the MSCI Emerging Market Index cumulatively over the past 5 and 7 years as well as over longer time periods, buoyed by its natural resource companies. The region is well placed to take advantage of the opportunities created by the renewable energy revolution with 54% of global lithium reserves concentrated there.

Investment Opportunities In Latin America

Water scarcity in Latin America is likely to intensify supply chain and operational disruptions, regulatory risks, and economic losses for businesses during the next five years. In Brazil, hydropower accounts for 65% of the electricity matrix.

Water Scarcity In Latin America: Operational Challenges

Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund Inc

iShares MSCI Chile ETF

Global X MSCI Colombia ETF

iShares MSCI Colombia ETF

Economies of Latin America and Caribbean have continued their strong post-pandemic rebound, but the winds are shifting as global financial conditions are tightening and commodity prices are reversing their upward trend, while inflationary pressures persist. The reopening of contact-intensive sectors, especially hospitality and travel, the unwinding of pandemic pent-up demand, and still favorable external financial conditions supported a solid expansion in the first half of the year, allowing services to catch up with manufacturing, and employment to reach pre-pandemic levels.

Shifting Global Winds Pose Challenges To Latin America

Emerging markets (EM) have headwinds dialed up a notch higher given the confluence of rising global inflation and a stronger dollar. However, in the case of certain regions like Latin America, they can provide investors with the right growth opportunity should certain economic conditions fall in line.

For Diversified Exposure, Check Out This Latin America ETF

The main disruption for Latin American traders comes from increased shipping costs and long delays to products arriving at their destinations. Latin American exporters of fruit, meat, and other perishables were not critically affected by delays until mid-2021, with perishable goods shipped through direct routes that often avoid bottlenecks.

Supply Chains Disruptions In Latin America

Latin America will start 2022 in a very fragile position given the economic fallout from the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a deteriorated fiscal position, weak FDI, and the erosion of real wages due to high inflation. The strong economic rebound in the second half of 2021 is likely to slow in 2022, not least because of rising policy rates (notably in Brazil).

Emerging Risks In Latin America In 2022

The Central Bank of Brazil has embarked on a series of shock-and-awe rate hikes in order to not fall further behind. Following its last meeting, Banxico said again that it expected inflation to be transitory, carefully echoing the Fed's Powell. Due to the magnitude of price shocks, and their spread across the economy, Banxico said it deemed it necessary to raise its policy rate.

Central Banks In Latin America's Largest Economies Grapple With Raging Inflation

Vaccination campaigns and fiscal support have sparked an economic rebound since the second half of last year, despite an apparent loss of momentum in the third quarter of this year. Even up to this point, the region's recovery has been uneven and the future looks uncertain. Latin America is caught betwe

Could The U.S. And China Spoil Latin America's Rebound?

VanEck Vectors Africa Index ETF

iShares Asia 50 ETF

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund

Franklin FTSE Australia ETF

SPDR S&P Midcap 400 ETF Trust

Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF

If you're looking to build a truly global portfolio of investments, these seven ETFs will get the job done without spending too much on fees. The post 7 Best ETFs to Buy for a Truly Global Portfolio appeared first on InvestorPlace.

7 Best ETFs to Buy for a Truly Global Portfolio

AdvisorShares Dorsey Wright ADR ETF

AI Powered International Equity ETF

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund

Volley of easy money polices and cues of easing in trade tensions in the second half of 2019 made these foreign ETFs winners in 2019.

Top Foreign ETFs of 2019

News for First Trust Latin America AlphaDEX Fund ETF (FLN)