Cushing Launches Income-Focused Equity Sector & MLP ETFs: Portfolio Products

Cushing Asset Management launched a new suite of income-focused equity sector and MLP exchange-traded funds, The Cushing Sector Plus ETFs.

These new ETFs, which trade on the NYSE Arca Exchange, are designed to offer investors exposure to the master limited partnership and energy infrastructure markets by seeking to replicate the performance of custom indexes in energy, utilities, transportation, and the energy supply chain.

The new funds include: the Cushing Energy & MLP ETF (XLEY), which tracks the Cushing Energy Index; the Cushing Utility & MLP ETF (XLUY), which tracks the Cushing Utility Index; the Cushing Transportation & MLP ETF (XLTY), which tracks the Cushing Transportation Index; and the Cushing Energy Supply Chain & MLP ETF (XLSY), which tracks the Cushing Energy Supply Chain Index.

“Selecting existing sector indexes that operate fundamentally related businesses to energy MLPs, weighting the constituents on indicated yield, and adding a limited amount of MLPs is designed to produce a higher yield focus while maintaining the desired sector exposure,” Todd Sunderland, head of risk management and quant strategies at Cushing Asset Management, said in a statement.

Through a custom yield-weighted approach, constituents of the Cushing indexes are selected from the S&P 500 Energy Index (SPN), S&P 500 Utility Index (S5UTIL), S&P 500 Materials Index (S5MATR), and the Dow Jones transportation average (TRAN), and then combined with constituents from the Cushing 30 MLP Index (MLPX).

Each of the Cushing indexes, and consequently the funds, limit the exposure of MLPs to 24% at each rebalance, allowing investors to add the income-generating potential that MLPs can bring to a portfolio, but avoiding the receipt of Schedule K-1 come tax time.

All four new ETFs have an expense ratio of 0.65%.

North Capital Launches REITless Impact Income Strategies

North Capital Investment Technology Inc. recently launched a new investment vehicle, REITless Impact Income Strategies.

The new strategies are focused on lending and strategic debt investments to primarily single- and multifamily real estate development and redevelopment projects that aim to produce positive social impact in communities nationwide.

The impact initiatives targeted by the company are energy efficiency, employment generation, affordable housing, and green-housing improvements that promote environmental sustainability.

REITless intends to focus on making short-term loans and investments into the small-balance real estate market, where financing requirements are typically smaller than in institutional markets.

Unlike many REITs, investors in REITless will not pay upfront selling commissions as part of the purchase price, which may allow investors to compound a greater percentage of their investment.

REITless membership interests are available to both accredited and non-accredited investors who meet the qualifications of the offering.

REITless is managed by North Capital Inc., an SEC-registered investment advisor.

Bloomberg Launches 2019 Gender-Equality Index

Bloomberg announced the launch of its 2019 Gender-Equality Index, which this year selected 230 companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality in the workplace.

The index more than doubled in size from 2018 and includes firms from 10 sectors headquartered across 36 countries and regions.

Collectively, these firms have a combined market capitalization of $9 trillion and employ more than 15 million people — including 7 million women — around the world. Argentina, mainland China, Israel and South Africa are among the 13 markets represented for the first time this year.

Bloomberg’s reporting framework provides a comprehensive, standardized format for companies to voluntarily disclose information on how they promote gender equality across four distinct areas: company statistics, policies, community engagement and products and services.

Reporting companies that score above a globally established threshold, based on the extent of their disclosures and the achievement of best-in-class statistics and policies, are included in the Gender-Equality Index.

Currently, only 10% of eligible companies are disclosing their workplace gender policies and practices.

The Bloomberg gender reporting framework is voluntary and has no associated costs. The Gender-Equality Index is a reference index.