See the full list of Morningstar research published in the past 90 days here.
Morningstar's passive fund research analysts have published new reports on eight ETFs in the past week. Our analysts assess ETFs according to five key pillars: suitability; fundamental view; index construction; product construction; fees and alternatives.
ComStage MSCI World – 5 Stars
This ETF is best used as a core building block for investors who want to gain developed equity exposure through one fund rather than build a geographically- and/or sector-diversified equity portfolio.
db x-trackers MSCI World – 5 Stars
In our view, investors seeking exposure to the global, rather than just developed, equity market should consider pairing this ETF with some form of emerging markets exposure which would provide portfolio diversification, as this ETF contains less than 1% emerging markets equity. This ETF has a share class that trades on the LSE.
iShares Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Swap
No star rating*
This ETF offers the advantage of diversification within the commodity asset class, though the energy and agriculture sectors combined account for 60-65% of the total exposure gained through the reference index.
iShares Euro Corporate Bond ex-Financials 1-5 yr – 3 Stars
By excluding volatile financial debt and limiting the duration of the holdings, this ETF occupies the less risky end of the corporate bond spectrum. This ETF has a share class that trades on the LSE.
iShares FTSE 250 – 3 Stars
iShares FTSE 250 ETF is suitable as a core holding in a UK or European equity allocation given its broad holdings across companies and sectors, or as a tactical tool to overweight UK mid-cap equities within a diversified portfolio. This ETF has a share class that trades on the LSE.
UBS ETF MSCI World – 5 Stars
This ETF pays out dividends from its underlying holdings on a semi-annual basis, currently at an annualised yield level of 1.75%. It may therefore suit investors looking for regular income. This ETF has a share class that trades on the LSE.
XACT Bear
No star rating*
If the index goes down 1% during a given trading day, this ETF will go up 1.5%, and vice versa. There are limited occasions when this type of leveraged inverse ETF is useful.
XACT Bull
No star rating*
This ETF can provide leverage to investors who are extremely bullish on the very near-term prospects of the Swedish equity market.
*Morningstar does not rate leveraged and inverse funds as these are trading instruments that are not designed to be held over long periods of time. Morningstar focuses on helping investors achieve their long-term investment goals.
This article was updated March 3, 2014 with additional information on why certain ETFs do not carry a star rating from Morningstar.