IGF vs WUGI

IGFAiShares Global Infrastructure ETF

WUGIFAXS Esoterica NextG Economy ETF

In short

IGF About 80 developed-market infrastructure companies in one ticker, tracked against the S&P Global Infrastructure Index since 2007, for 0.37% a year (well under the category norm).

WUGI Most infrastructure funds buy bridges and pipelines by index. WUGI goes the other way: an active, non-diversified basket of roughly 27 global names in the 5G digital economy, run since its 2020 launch by the shop that built it.

Stated mandate

IGF The Fund seeks to track an index of developed-market equities focused on the infrastructure industry.

WUGI The Fund seeks capital appreciation through an actively managed portfolio focused on domestic and foreign companies connected to the 5G-enabled digital economy, including infrastructure, edge devices, and related services.

Why people hold it

• IGF Costs 0.37% a year against a cohort median of 0.55%, so the toll on a long hold is smaller than most infrastructure funds charge.
• The one other fund on the same S&P Global Infrastructure Index, GII, charges 0.40%. Same benchmark, cheaper wrapper here.
• Trading since December 2007, now a multi-billion-dollar, actively traded fund that has tracked its index closely.
• Goes global where the biggest peers stay home: IFRA and PAVE are US-only, while this one spans developed markets worldwide.

• WUGI No index to hug. The managers pick roughly 27 companies across 5G infrastructure, edge devices and related services, spanning US and foreign stocks of any size.sec.gov
• Continuity at the helm: Esoterica Capital, the boutique that launched the fund in 2020, still runs the portfolio as sub-advisor under the AXS banner.axsinvestments.comsec.gov
• A contractual waiver does real work here: 0.84% net of a waiver through July 31, 2027, against a 1.46% gross expense ratio.

Worth knowing

• IGF About 80 holdings in one industry. A concentrated basket, so a bad stretch for utilities or transport operators shows up fast.
• Distributions arrive once or twice a year, not monthly, and foreign holdings bring currency swings along with the dividends.
• Developed markets only. The fast-building infrastructure of emerging economies sits outside the mandate.

• WUGI Even at 0.84% net of a waiver through July 31, 2027, the fee sits above the category median, and index peers cost far less: IFRA at 0.30%, PAVE at 0.47%.
• Non-diversified by design, so a handful of top names drive the result and swings run wider than a broad infrastructure basket.sec.gov
• A small, thinly traded fund that distributes once or twice a year, so trading costs and execution matter more than with the category's giants.

Full IGF profile⁠

Full WUGI profile⁠