VettaFi's 2026 Midyear Outlook Symposium took place at the end of June and included insight from a wide array of asset managers and industry leaders. Topics ranged from the second-half outlook to the essential tools that investors and advisors need for their portfolios.
It's hard to avoid the U.S.-Israel-Iran war in the news — or at the pump. Energy prices are rising worldwide as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
During the VettaFi Asset Allocation Summit in April, advisors told VettaFi about their strong interest in thematic ETFs. More than a third (35%) of attendee respondents said they expect to add to thematic ETFs in the next three months.
The Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology ETF (BATT) is proving itself as a compelling satellite position designed to capture alpha. While the S&P 500 has remained relatively flat year to date through April 14, BATT's 18.3% surge demonstrates its ability to decouple from broad-market stagnation.
As of Friday, February 13, the Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology ETF (BATT) has jumped 14.5% year-to-date, according to YCharts. It holds a slight edge over the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (LIT), which is up 10.94% in the same period.
Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology ETF has lagged the S&P 500 by 50% since late 2022, reflecting severe volatility and cyclical swings. BATT's low correlation to the S&P 500 and sector diversification provide long-term portfolio construction value, despite recent underperformance. Recent lithium market weakness and volatile 40%+ six-month swings make BATT a 'trade and protect' holding, not a classic buy-and-hold.
Artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and machine learning are just a few of the obvious tech innovations dominating the majority of investor attention spans these days. Along with the companies focused on these technologies, attention also diverts to those integral to meeting hardware demands, like semiconductor firms.
As an ex-future mobility research analyst, I spent a lot of time looking at financial statements and there was very little to see. New entrants in the space had no revenues (and if they had revenues then they had no profitability) and there was very little proof that they would hit their targets.