Basic Materials Sector 1Q '20: Best And Worst

 | Feb 05, 2020 10:58AM ET

The Basic Materials sector ranks seventh out of the 11 sectors as detailed in our 1Q20 Sector Ratings for ETFs and Mutual Funds report. Last quarter, the Basic Materials sector ranked ninth. It gets our Neutral rating, which is based on an aggregation of ratings of the 156 stocks in the Basic Materials sector as of January 11, 2020. See a recap of our 4Q19 Sector Ratings here .

Figures 1 and 2 show the five best and worst rated ETFs and mutual funds in the sector. Not all Basic Materials sector ETFs and mutual funds are created the same. The number of holdings varies widely (from 26 to 120). This variation creates drastically different investment implications and, therefore, ratings.

Investors seeking exposure to the Basic Materials sector should buy one of the Attractive-or-better rated ETFs or mutual funds from Figures 1 and 2.

Our Robo-Analyst technology[1] empowers our unique ETF and mutual fund rating methodology, which leverages our rigorous analysis of each fund’s holdings.[2] Only our research utilizes the superior data and earnings adjustments featured by the HBS & MIT Sloan paper,Core Earnings: New Data and Evidence.” We think advisors and investors focused on prudent investment decisions should include analysis of fund holdings in their research process for ETFs and mutual funds.