IFRA vs UPGR

IFRAAiShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF

UPGRCXtrackers US Green Infrastructure Select Equity ETF

In short

IFRA Most infrastructure funds pick a side: the companies that build the stuff, or the ones that own it. IFRA holds both, stays entirely American, and charges well under the category's typical fee.

UPGR Clean energy, but wider. UPGR tracks a US-only index that reaches past solar panels into green mobility, green fuel and pollution control, and it charges less than every top-ranked fund in its peer group.

Stated mandate

IFRA The fund seeks to track an index of U.S. companies with infrastructure exposure, balancing infrastructure enablers and infrastructure asset owners.

UPGR The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the Solactive United States Green Infrastructure ESG Screened Index. It generally invests at least 80% of its assets in the index's component securities and at least 80% of net assets plus investment borrowings in equity securities of U.S. green-infrastructure companies.

Why people hold it

• IFRA 0.30% a year, roughly half the typical fee in the infrastructure category and cheaper than bigger-name rivals IGF (0.37%), GII (0.40%) and PAVE (0.47%).
• Tracks the NYSE FactSet U.S. Infrastructure Index, which balances the enablers (builders and suppliers) against the asset owners, rather than betting on the construction cycle alone.
• Roughly 160 holdings spread the theme wide, and the fund pays out quarterly.
• Running since 2018 with over a billion in assets, it sits among the strongest implementations in its infrastructure peer group.

• UPGR 0.35% a year, well under the roughly 0.59% typical for clean-energy ETFs and below peer leaders ICLN and FRNW at 0.39%.
• Wider net than solar and wind: the index spans green mobility, green fuel, green wholesale power, environmental services and pollution control.dws.com
• US-only by design, while category heavyweights like ICLN and FAN run global books.
• Straightforward mechanics: passive indexing, roughly 50 names, at least 80% of assets in the index's own components.

Worth knowing

• IFRA US-only by design. The overseas toll roads, airports and utilities that global peers like IGF and GII hold are simply not here.
• A narrow slice of the market, so it can move quite differently from a broad US index in either direction.
• Volume is moderate rather than heavy. Limit orders are the sane default, especially around the open and close.

• UPGR Small asset base and thin trading, which tends to mean wider bid-ask spreads. Small funds also face a higher chance of being closed or merged away.
• One theme, one country. The issuer's own materials note results depend greatly on the condition of the green energy sector, and roughly 50 names concentrates that bet.dws.com
• The ESG screen is Solactive's definition of green, not yours, and a 2023 launch leaves a short record to judge.

Full IFRA profile⁠

Full UPGR profile⁠