CTEC vs FRNW

CTECCGlobal X CleanTech ETF

FRNWAFidelity Clean Energy ETF

In short

CTEC Climate tech, not just clean power. CTEC follows a global index of roughly 40 companies working on the technology side of decarbonization, and charges 0.50% a year to do it.

FRNW Fidelity wrote its own clean energy index, then priced the fund at 0.39% a year, matching the category's cheapest heavyweights and undercutting most rivals. Roughly 60 global stocks: solar, wind, and the grid gear behind them.

Stated mandate

CTEC The Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance of the Indxx Global ClimateTech Index before fees and expenses. It invests primarily in index constituents and related depositary receipts.

FRNW The fund seeks returns that generally track the Fidelity Clean Energy Index before fees and expenses.

Why people hold it

• CTEC Fee of 0.50% a year lands below the median for its clean-energy peer group.
• The mandate is global, not a US-only slice: it tracks the Indxx Global ClimateTech Index and can use depositary receipts to reach foreign listings.globalxetfs.com
• Rules-based and readable: a published index sets the roughly 40 holdings, so there is no manager discretion to decode.

• FRNW 0.39% a year ties the low-cost leader of the group (ICLN) and comes in under CNRG at 0.45% and FAN at 0.61%. In a theme where fees often run higher, that is real money kept.
• Global by mandate, not US-only. The index reaches clean energy companies worldwide, so the fund follows the industry rather than one country's subsidy calendar.
• A plain index fund, not a stock-picking bet: it aims to track the Fidelity Clean Energy Index before fees, so what you own is spelled out in the methodology.
• One of the stronger builds in a crowded clean energy shelf on our review, with the low fee and a spread-out portfolio doing the heavy lifting. Pays quarterly.

Worth knowing

• CTEC A small fund that trades thinly, so the bid-ask spread deserves a look before you place an order. It is not one of the category's giants.
• Roughly 40 stocks on a single theme means individual names and the clean-tech cycle drive the ride, and the swings can be sharp.
• Distributions come once or twice a year at most. This is a growth theme, not an income line.

• FRNW One theme, one industry. Clean energy names swing with interest rates, policy shifts, and equipment prices, so the ride is far choppier than a broad market fund.
• Roughly 60 stocks. That is focused enough that a handful of names and a couple of countries carry real weight in the outcome.
• Not one of the giants. A mid-size asset base and moderate trading activity can mean wider bid-ask spreads than the category's most heavily traded funds.

Full CTEC profile⁠

Full FRNW profile⁠