ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACSI Funds’ flagship ETF, the American Customer Satisfaction Core Alpha ETF (Bats: ACSI), is now available on E*TRADE’s Commission-Free ETF platform.
Making ACSI accessible to the masses for commission-free trading aligns with data-driven asset manager ACSI Funds’ philosophy of providing low-cost, quality investment solutions to retail investors across the globe. This is the second platform that offers commission-free trading of ACSI, after the ETF was made available on Interactive Brokers.
“Our research indicates that our proprietary customer satisfaction data has been a leading indicator of earnings surprises and ultimately stock performance, and our goal is to allow forward-thinking investors to access our strategies as efficiently as possible,” Phil Bak, CEO of ACSI Funds, said. “Our partnership with E*TRADE will allow even more investors to leverage this innovative product in a cost-efficient manner.”
ACSI Funds launched ACSI, its inaugural ETF, in November 2016. Backed by the only national cross-industry measure of customer satisfaction in the United States, ACSI delivers ACSI Funds’ thesis - that companies with satisfied customers should outperform their peers over the long term - as a core U.S. holding while utilizing a transparent systematic process. The fund was recently recognized at the 2017 Fund Action ETF Innovation Awards for ETF Innovation of the Year.
“For investors seeking strategy diversification, ETFs that utilize alternative investment methodologies may be an appealing play,” said Rich Messina, SVP, Investment Product Management at E*TRADE. “With the addition of the American Customer Satisfaction Core Alpha ETF (ACSI) to E*TRADE’s Commission-Free ETF platform, we continue on our journey to arm the retail investor with ETFs that can be used for a variety of investment objectives, without the cost of placing a trade.”
The fund became available for commission-free trading on the E*TRADE platform as of May 1, 2017.
About ACSI Funds
ACSI Funds is a boutique asset manager that creates investment products based upon proprietary customer satisfaction data from the nationally recognized American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The ACSI was created in 1994 by Dr. Claes Fornell, University of Michigan Professor Emeritus, and measures over 350 brands, engaging over 100,000 household customers each year to identify trends in customer satisfaction and provide benchmarking insights for companies, industry trade associates, and government agencies.
ACSI Funds was named ETF Innovation of the Year at the 2017 Fund Action ETF Innovation Awards.
The firm and the American Customer Satisfaction Core Alpha ETF were also nominated for the 2017 ETF.com Awards as the most innovative new ETF and the new ETF issuer of the year.
About E*TRADE’s Commission-Free ETF platform:
You can buy and sell the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) available through the E*TRADE Securities commission-free ETF program without paying brokerage commissions. For margin customers, ETFs purchased through the program are not margin eligible for 30 days from the purchase date. To discourage short-term trading, E*TRADE Securities may charge a short-term trading fee on sales of participating ETFs held for less than 30 days.
An investor should consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus or summary prospectus contain this and other important information about the Fund and are available at acsietf.com or by calling 734.882.2401. Please read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing.
Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. The Index relies heavily on proprietary quantitative models as well as information and data supplied by third parties (Models and Data). Because the Index is composed based on such Models and Data, when such Models and Data prove to be incorrect or incomplete, the Index and Fund may not perform as expected. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index. Investments involve risk. Principal loss is possible. The Fund has the same risks as the underlying securities traded on the exchange through the day. Redemptions are limited and commissions are charged on each trade, and ETFs may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value. Shares of the American Customer Satisfaction Index ETF may be sold throughout the day on the exchange through any brokerage account. However, shares may only be redeemed directly from the Fund by Authorized Participants, in very large creation/redemption units. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares of an ETF will develop or be maintained.
Alpha, often considered the active return on an investment, gauges the performance of an investment against a market index used as a benchmark.
E*TRADE has contracted with ACSI Funds to waive trading commission for ACSI ETFs. Accounts may still be charged account fees or minimums. Investors should refer to their E*TRADE account agreement to determine if additional fees apply.
The American Customer Satisfaction Investable Index uses an objective, rules-based methodology to measure the performance of large capitalization U.S.-listed companies whose customers have been surveyed and who have been assigned a customer satisfaction score by ACSI, LLC. The Index utilizes sector constraints to reflect the overall U.S. large cap market, and weights securities based on the Customer Satisfaction Data. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
ACSI Funds, a registered investment adviser, serves as investment adviser to the American Customer Satisfaction Core Alpha ETF and is paid a fee for its services.
Criteria related to the award can be found here: http://bit.ly/2ptWzCU. The Fund did not win the award for ETF Newcomer of the Year.
The American Customer Satisfaction Core Alpha ETF is distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC.
