The latest news in investment offerings, financial products and other services relevant to wealth advisors and their clients.

Franklin Templeton
California-headquartered investment manager Franklin Templeton has launched the Franklin US Mega Cap 100 UCITS ETF (USMC). The ETF provides exposure to the largest 100 US-listed companies, tracking the Solactive US Mega Cap 100 Select Index. The exchange-traded fund (ETF) has a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.09 per cent. This is an addition to the Franklin US Equity ETF range, bringing the total to five.  

The ETF provides access to the top 100 US large cap stocks giving investors a tool to increase US equity exposure or quickly implement a risk on trade. The largest US stocks demonstrate a performance profile when compared with broader US holdings and can be used as a granular complement to existing US holdings, the firm said in a statement.

The firm highlighted that US mega caps tend to exhibit higher profitability and stronger earnings growth and remain there longer, driving long-term performance. In the past 10 years, during the five corrections when the market dropped by over 10 per cent, the US mega cap 100 also outperformed the S&P 500 Index in three of those five periods, the firm added.