Services Sector ETF

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that invest in either the consumer services sector or financial services sector of an economy. A consumer services ETF seeks to derive investment results that correspond to an underlying index of companies that provide products and services to consumers. A financial services ETF aims to derive investment results that track an underlying index of financial service providers such as banks and credit-card issuers.

Since consumer spending accounts for a major part of most economies, the investment returns from a consumer services ETF would depend on the prevailing level of consumer sentiment, and hence consumer spending, in an economy. A consumer services ETF would generally include a wide range of companies that provide consumer goods and services, from cable providers and drugstore chains to hotel and retailers (both online and bricks-and-mortar).

The investment returns from a financial services ETF are dependent on the performance of the financial sector, which is also closely tied to the performance of the broad economy. Such an ETF would include banks, trusts companies, asset managers, credit-card issuers and other providers of financial services.