Launch Roundup
First Trust listed six income ETFs at 0.85%, and the new fund flagged its own conflict
NYLI Global Equity R&D Leaders ETF
$43.58+0.06 (+0.13%)
- 0.18%
- $10M
- +23.9%
- 0.90%
- 0M sh
- $44.07
- low $34.38high $44.67
The ETF.net WRND Grade
A
Score 70 out of 100
- 3 of 21
Score 70 of 100 falls in the A band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.A100 out of 100Rank 1 of 21Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.A81 out of 100Rank 3 of 21Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.F19 out of 100Rank 20 of 21Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B59 out of 100Rank 9 of 18Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.C47 out of 100Rank 15 of 21
Our read on WRND
AMost innovation funds sell you a story. WRND buys receipts: roughly 200 companies worldwide picked on what they actually spend on R&D and whether that spending earns a return, at a fee well under the thematic norm.
The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the IQ Global Equity R&D Leaders Index. Its passive strategy targets innovative companies worldwide based on high research and development spending.
Why people hold it
- 0.18% a year against a 0.56% median for its global thematic peers. Innovation exposure without the boutique markup.newyorklifeinvestments.com
- Selection leans on the income statement: R&D intensity paired with return on invested capital, favoring firms that turn research budgets into results.newyorklifeinvestments.com
- Roughly 200 names from a global universe, one of three R&D-screened funds New York Life launched in 2022 rather than a one-off experiment.businesswire.com
Worth knowing
- Small and lightly traded, so bid/ask spreads tend to run wider than on mainstream global index funds.
- Weighting by R&D dollars, with a cap on any single position, tilts the book toward the world's largest research spenders.businesswire.cometfstrategy.com
- Distributions arrive quarterly, but income isn't the mandate; the index screens on research spending, not payouts.
WRND Holdings
- Stocks
- 209
- 48%
- NVDA
Sectors
- Technology58.5%
- Industrials12.2%
- Communication10.1%
- Consumer Discretionary9.1%
- Health Care8.5%
- Materials0.7%
- Consumer Staples0.7%
- Financials0.1%
- Energy0.0%
Geography
- United States57.31%
- Taiwan (Province of China)9.23%
- Korea (the Republic of)6.47%
- Germany5.92%
- Netherlands5.04%
- United Kingdom2.81%
- Ireland2.22%
- Denmark1.48%
- 9.51%
Developed 53% · Emerging 47%
WRND Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
WRND$12,386
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | WRND |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +18.7% |
| 1 month | +2.6% |
| 3 months | +4.2% |
| 1 year | +23.9% |
| 3 years | +23.1% |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | WRND |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +18.7% | |
| 2025 | +27.7% | |
| 2024 | +13.5% | |
| 2023 | +34.8% | |
| 2022 | −19.2% |
WRND in the news
WRND Dividends
- 0.90%
- $0.40
- $0.10 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
WRND Risk
- 14.1%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 1.26
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −27.2%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 1.15
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
WRND Cost
0.18%
WRND0.18%
- The middle half of Global Thematic funds
- Median 0.58%
No Global Thematic fund charges less.
Other funds in Global Thematic
- AFITEState Street SPDR S&P Kensho Future Security ETFExpense ratio 0.45%1 year return +27.5%
- AAGNGGlobal X - Aging Population ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +9.3%
- BHAILState Street SPDR S&P Kensho Smart Mobility ETFExpense ratio 0.45%1 year return −2.9%
- BICOPiShares Copper and Metals Mining ETFExpense ratio 0.47%1 year return +48.1%
- BTRFKPacer Data and Digital Revolution ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +42.6%