Topic: How To Invest

Q: Hi Pat: Can I get your opinion on two Vanguard consumer ETFs—Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF and Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF, $161.83, symbol VCR on New York, aims to track the MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Discretionary 25/50 Index. That index follows U.S. consumer discretionary companies. Those firms, in the manufacturing and service industries, are highly sensitive to economic cycles. The manufacturing segment includes producers of household durable goods, textiles and leisure equipment as well as automakers. The services segment includes hotels, restaurants and other leisure facilities, along with media production companies and clothing retailers. The “25/50” in the fund’s name refers to two things: no stock can represent more than 25% of the portfolio; and total weighting of all stocks with 5% or more of the portfolio’s assets is capped at 50%. With assets of $2.6 billion, the ETF’s top holdings are Amazon.com, 17.0%; Home Depot, 5.9%; Comcast, 4.7%; Walt Disney, 4.4%; McDonald’s, 3.5%; Netflix, 3.5%; Booking Holdings, 2.7%; Nike, 2.4%, Starbucks, 2.3%; and Lowes Cos., 2.1%. Its other top holdings include Time Warner, General Motors and…