IslamicFinance.de

Halal-focused investment firm Wahed Invest has debuted its first ETF – the Wahed FTSE USA Shariah ETF (HLAL US). Listed on Nasdaq, the fund provides exposure to US firms that comply with Shariah principles. The ETF is linked to the FTSE USA Shariah Index which screens the constituents of the parent FTSE USA Index to determine their Shariah status. The most notable sector difference between the FTSE USA Shariah Index and the FTSE USA Index is that the former has zero allocation to financials stocks (vs. 18.5% in the FTSE USA). Consequently, the index has a larger allocation to technology (28.6% vs. 22.0%), healthcare (22.2% vs. 12.7%), and oil & gas (13.1% vs. 5.0%). While there are a few Shariah-compliant ETFs listed in Europe, with issuers DWS and BlackRock offering products, the space is relatively untouched in the US.