Launched on 04/19/2006, the First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF (QTEC) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Because the fund has amassed over $2.81 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Technology ETFs. QTEC is managed by First Trust Advisors. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Technology Sector Index.
The NASDAQ-100 Technology Sector Index is an equal-weighted index based on the securities of the NASDAQ-100 Index that are classified as technology.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for QTEC are 0.55%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 0.00%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Representing 88.1% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector; Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) accounts for about 3.47% of the fund's total assets, followed by Western Digital Corporation (WDC) and Seagate Technology Holdings Plc (STX).
The top 10 holdings account for about 31.28% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -3.91% and it's up approximately 9.79% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 02/24/2026), respectively. QTEC has traded between $149.56 and $246.56 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.30 and standard deviation of 25.26% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 46 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers .
Alternatives
First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) tracks Technology Select Sector Index and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF has $87.22 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology ETF has $109.2 billion. XLK has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VGT changes 0.09%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Technology ETFs
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF (QTEC): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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