Major cyber attacks against the U.S. government and large businesses this year mean that another big player has emerged on the cybersecurity market.
HACK, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the performance of companies involved in providing services for cybersecurity, has seen a $1-billion increase in assets in just seven months.
The portfolio manager of HACK, Andrew Chanin, said recent well publicized data had made enhanced cybersecurity technology a must buy for companies dealing with finances.
“Cyberattacks on celebrity photos didn’t seem like a situation that many people could identify with but the Sony attack was the first time that it really clicked with individuals that everyone is potentially vulnerable,” he said.
Concerns about cybersecurity, has seen cyber stocks become a hot item with increased scrutiny on companies offering cybersecurity services and products – cyberactivity monitoring systems, authentication software providers, firewall manufacturers etc .
“When we launched the cybersecurity ETF we knew we were onto something big, but the rate at which people have taken notice really exceeded what we could’ve hoped for. We really thought there would need to be a bit more education, but the increase in number of cyberattacks has really brought the issue to the front page,” said Chanin.
Year to date the fund is up 27 percent thanks to core holdings of FireEye Inc., Qualys Inc., Fortinet Inc., Cyberark Software Ltd. and Splunk Inc.
An annual expense ratio of 0.75 percent makes it attractive to investors looking to avoid more expensive managed products while still having exposure to a variety of companies within a growing sector.
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