ETF News

With over $43 billion in total assets under management and fee-earning assets, AGF Investments is a well-recognized and highly regarded asset manager in North America. Attaining such a size and stature requires ongoing product development and yearly enhancement of their ETF line-up.

Recently, AGF Investment launched a series of new ETF offerings, based on existing mutual fund mandates, that provide investors with access to distinct market exposures, supported by the investment expertise and scale of the broader AFG Investments organization.

In speaking about the launch of these new solutions, Meaghan Kelly, Chief Marketing & Product Officer, AGF Investments stated “We are excited to grow our partnership with Cboe Canada as we expand our line-up with additional ETF series options providing investors with access to alternatives, active fixed income and U.S. small-mid cap equities. These offerings support investor’s ability to access our capabilities in their preferred vehicles.”

In this article we’ll look at AGF’s recently launched ETF offerings, examining their individual investment objectives and how investors can utilize them.

AGF Global Real Estate Fund (Ticker: AGLR)

The fund aims to deliver long-term capital growth by investing in listed global securities in energy, materials, infrastructure and precious metals sectors and is for investors seeking to invest in global equities with some exposure to fixed income and commodities. The fund uses a bottom-up fundamental security selection combined with tactical weightings to each asset class and the utilization of derivatives to manage risk and enhance income.

For investors looking to gain access to real assets and commodities that are essential to the global economy, this solution provides comprehensive exposure to companies that are intimately involved in their development and distribution. From a real asset perspective, the fund provides real estate exposure to industrial, multi-family, and specialized (i.e., tower and data center space) assets that are integral to our modern economy. Regarding commodities, as the world transitions toward clean energy, having access to the raw materials and precious metals needed for electrification is essential. The fund provides exposure to companies that will have exposure to said companies, while also maintaining access to firms involved in traditional energy development.

AGF Total Return Bond Fund (Ticker: ATRB)

The fund offers the potential for higher yields than traditional bonds with exposure to a range of fixed income securities including high yield bonds, convertible bonds and emerging market bonds. The fund uses a top-down fundamental approach to determine its category allocation and is combined with a bottom-up approach to corporate bond selection using corporate credit research.

Though fixed income is broadly characterized as a safe haven asset class, investors should always remember that each type of fixed income is distinctly unique, and their performance will reflect this over time.

For investors seeking broad exposure to the fixed income universe, this solution is an avenue through which they can achieve said objective comprehensively. Given that the AGF Total Return Bond Fund is innately diversified, investors are not only provided with exposure to investment grade corporate debt – but also high yield, emerging market debt, and many other fixed instrument types.

This broad composite enables investors to benefit from the strong performance in most investment grade fixed income segments while mitigating the under or muted performance in others.

AGF U.S. Small-Mid Cap Fund (Ticker: ASMD)

The fund strategically focuses on market frontrunners and pioneers, serving as an ideal complement to existing large-cap equity investments by broadening diversification and tapping into the growth prospects of U.S. small and mid-cap equities. It adopts a meticulous bottom-up approach to growth investing, emphasizing a company's revenue, profitability, earnings quality, and potential for expansion.

With the Russell 2000 and Russell Midcap Indexes tracking the performance of the U.S. small-cap and mid-cap equity markets, respectively, they collectively encompass over 2,500 companies, presenting a vast array of investment opportunities.

The active management strategy employed for small and mid-cap equities could lead to superior returns, leveraging the reduced market efficiency and greater information gaps in these segments. By gaining an in-depth understanding of these companies, managers have the opportunity to identify and invest in those with significant growth potential, ultimately benefiting the investors of the fund.

Please note this article is for information purposes only and does not in any way constitute investment advice. It is essential that you seek advice from a registered financial professional prior to making any investment decision.