The ETFs that didn’t work out for 2020
Niche exchange traded funds (ETF) that tracked energy and financials struggled in 2020, as both sectors were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data.
FE Analytics data found the worst-performing ETF was the Betashares Crude Oil Index which had lost 69.65% during 2020.
This was followed by BetaShares Global Energy Companies which lost 33.34%, ETFS Global Core Infrastructure (-24.7%), BetaShares Global Income Leaders (-23.54%) and Global Banks (-20.05%).
The Crude Oil fund returned 18.78% over the last six months, but had an annualised loss of 22.38% since inception on 11 November, 2011.
The Global Energy fund was largely focused on oil and gas companies, with Exxon Mobil, Total SE, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell, and Enbridge included in the top holdings.
Research from Money Management showed that the infrastructure sector was the worst-performing in 2020 with an average loss of 8.96%.
The Global Core Infrastructure fund was the worst-performing in the sector although only three funds made a return for the year.
The Global Banks ETF had almost a half weighted to the US (31.8%) and Canada (18.1%). Comparatively, BetaShares’ Australian Financials Sector lost only 6.74%.
The two best-performing ETFs returned over 50% during 2020, which also followed niche indices.
Worst-performing ETFs during 2020
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