FRNW vs QCLN

FRNWAFidelity Clean Energy ETF

QCLNBFirst Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund

In short

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.

QCLN Launched in 2007, an early arrival in clean energy that still runs the theme the old-fashioned way: a concentrated book of about 40 stocks tracking the Nasdaq Clean Edge Green Energy Index.

Stated mandate

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

QCLN The Fund seeks investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield of its designated clean-energy index, before fees and expenses.

Why people hold it

• 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.

• QCLN A 2007 launch date means a long, public record across multiple clean-energy cycles, not a fund built for last year's headlines.
• Straightforward job: track a published Nasdaq clean-energy index. No manager hunches, no derivative sleeve, no structural quirks flagged in our review.
• Getting in and out is one of its stronger suits: among the more tradable funds in the clean-energy group.
• The 0.59% fee sits right on the clean-energy category median, and income is paid on a quarterly schedule.

Worth knowing

• 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.

• QCLN About 40 holdings is a narrow bench. Single names carry real weight, and portfolio construction is the weakest part of the package.
• The ride is demanding even by thematic standards; volatility is the biggest trade-off here.
• Cost-first shoppers have cheaper doors into the theme: ICLN and FRNW both charge 0.39%.

Full FRNW profile⁠

Full QCLN profile⁠