HUSV vs SELV

HUSVCFirst Trust Horizon Managed Volatility Domestic ETF

SELVASEI QiM US Large Cap Low Volatility Active ETF

In short

HUSV Most low-vol funds rank stocks on the calm they already showed. HUSV pays Horizon Investments to forecast it instead, then weights hardest toward the names its models expect to move least.

SELV Active low-volatility large cap at index-fund pricing. SEI scores Russell 1000 names on volatility, momentum, quality and value, then holds roughly 90 of them, aiming for a smoother ride than the broad U.S. large-cap market.

Stated mandate

HUSV The Fund seeks capital appreciation by investing at least 80% of net assets in domestic common stocks that the sub-advisor expects to have relatively low volatility.

SELV The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation while targeting lower volatility than the broad U.S. large-cap equity market.

Why people hold it

• HUSV The engine looks forward, not back: Horizon's models rank US-listed stocks by expected future volatility, and the calmest forecasts get the biggest weights.sec.gov
• Quantitative at the core, human at the edges. The sub-advisor can flex the number of holdings, the weightings and how aggressive the low-vol tilt runs as markets shift.sec.gov
• A compact book of roughly 80 domestic stocks, with a mandate to keep at least 80% of net assets in US common shares. Easy to see what you actually own.
• Trading since 2016, so the approach has been through real drawdowns rather than a backtest. Pays quarterly.

• SELV 0.15% a year, well under the typical low-vol competitor, and the cheapest of the top-graded funds in its group (CGCV 0.33%, LOWV 0.39%).
• Not a one-trick screen. The model blends low volatility with momentum, quality and value, so cheap and improving names can make the cut, not just the sleepiest ones.
• Roughly 90 stocks against a Russell 1000 reference: genuinely active positioning, not a closet index wearing a defensive label.
• Rates as one of the stronger implementations in a small defensive-equity peer group, largely on price discipline.

Worth knowing

• HUSV 0.70% a year, above the median for US low-vol funds, and the index-based rivals in the aisle (SELV, CGCV) charge well under that. Active forecasting is what the premium buys.
• Thinly traded, so spreads and order timing matter more here than in the aisle's household names.
• Low forecast volatility is an expectation, not a floor. This is a fully invested stock portfolio and it can fall with the market.sec.gov

• SELV Thinly traded. Spreads can run wider than the household-name low-vol funds, and bigger orders take patience.
• Lower volatility is the target, not a floor. The fund still owns stocks and can fall with the market, and defensive tilts tend to trail in fast, speculative rallies.
• Launched in 2022, so the live record is short and the asset base stays modest next to the category's giants.

Full HUSV profile⁠

Full SELV profile⁠