Sustainable exchange traded funds (ETF) were the best two performing Australian equity ETFs in 2019, according to data.
According to FE Analytics, within the Australian Core Strategies universe, the best performing ETFs were VanEck Vectors MSCI Australian Sustainable Equity ETF (28.73%), BetaShares Australian Sustainability Leaders ETF (28.54%), BetaShares Australian Ex-20 Portfolio Diversifier ETF (28.4%), State Street Global Advisors SPDR S&P ASX 50 (27.77%) and VanEck Australian Equal Weight ETF (26.73%), from the year to to 29 November, 2019.
The Australian equity sector returned 22.96% over the same time period.
The best returning ETF, the Van Eck MSCI Australian Sustainable Equity ETF, excluded non-socially responsible companies including adult entertainment, weapons, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, soft drink and genetically modified organisms.
Their top holdings were CSL (5.29%), Telstra (5.14%), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (5.02%), Transurban Group (4.94%) and ANZ (4.76%), as at 16 January, 2020.
BetaShares Australian Sustainability Leaders ETF top holdings were CSL (4.7%), Resmed (4.3%), Insurance Australia (3.8%), Suncorp (3.8%) and Cochlear (3.7%), as at 31 December, 2019.
Its Australian Ex-20 ETF’s holdings were Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (3.3%), Aristocrat Leisure (3%), Fortescue Metals (2.4%), Coles (2.4%) and Sydney Airport (2.3%).
State Street’s top holdings were CBA (9.8%), CSL (8.84%), BHP (7.75%), Westpac (6.06%) and NAB (5.3%), as at 30 November, 2019.
VanEck Australian Equal Weight ETF’s top holdings were Northern Star Resources (1.47%), Charter Hall Group (1.32%), Magellan (1.28%), Afterpay (1.24%) and Link Administration Holdings (1.23%), as at 16 January, 2020.
Best performing ETFs in the Australian equity sector over the year to 29 November 2019
