Ticker Reports for September 2nd
Is Fund Flow Hype Real? 3 ETFs With Big Inflows in the Last Month
As with individual stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer a host of different metrics for investors to evaluate their appeal as investments. Besides portfolio and strategy, investors will also consider factors including expense ratio, assets under management (AUM), trading volume, net asset value (NAV), and dividend metrics, among others.
Occasionally overlooked in this list of factors is fund flows, the amount of money investors either put into or remove from an ETF over a specified period of time. Less a reflection of the ETF itself than of market sentiment, fund flows can nevertheless be a valuable tool to identify increasingly (or decreasingly) popular funds.
We'll consider three funds with rapidly increasing inflows in the last month—why might investors suddenly be interested in these ETFs, and do they warrant further attention?
DYNF's Multi-Factor Active Approach Wins Investor Interest
First up is the iShares U.S. Equity Factor Rotation Active ETF (NYSEARCA: DYNF), which saw inflows more than quadruple to nearly $608 million in August compared to the month of July 2025. The fund uses a factor rotation model prioritizing quality, value, size, low volatility, and momentum in an effort to outperform the large- and mid-cap segments of the U.S. stock market.
DYNF has a complex strategy requiring active fund management, but the fund provider keeps expenses fairly low at just 0.27%. The fund leans toward information technology and financial names—together, they make up more than half of the portfolio—but also has representation from many other sectors. There are around 120 stocks in DYNF's portfolio.
Investors may see DYNF's multi-pronged, active approach as increasingly likely to be able to outperform the market given ongoing economic uncertainty heading into the second half of 2025. Indeed, DYNF has provided higher returns than the broader market year-to-date (YTD), increasing by almost 13% compared to 11% for the S&P 500.
Muni Bond Income Fund's Popularity May Indicate Shifting Sentiments About Economy
The Capital Group Municipal High-Income ETF (NYSEARCA: CGHM) saw about $1.9 billion in fund inflows for the month of August, up drastically from under $8 million in July. CGHM aims for tax-exempt income by investing in a portfolio of high-yield, lower-rated municipal bonds that are not commonly available to everyday investors.
Investors might take the sudden influx of cash into CGHM's coffers as a warning sign about the broader economy. ETF investors have flocked to a fund that shuns equities entirely in favor of a bond-based strategy. To be clear, CGHM remains a niche ETF—it currently has just under $2.1 billion in AUM, placing it on the smaller side of the fund universe. Another factor that might influence investors considering CGHM is its age — the fund has been active for less than a year since its launch in June 2024, and some investors are hesitant to consider ETFs that are under a year old.
CGHM is also an actively managed fund with a slightly higher expense ratio (0.34%) compared to DYNF. Given its focus on income rather than returns, it won't surprise investors that CGHM has returned -0.6% so far this year. In terms of dividend yield, though, it has provided an impressive 3.79%.
Brand New Fund Focused on International Free Cash Flow is Taking Off
Finally, the VictoryShares International Free Cash Flow Growth ETF (NASDAQ: GRIN), which noted more than $2 billion in fund inflows during August compared to just $121 million in all of July 2025. GRIN targets large-cap growth companies in international markets that the fund deems to have strong potential to build free cash flow over time.
Free cash flow, in this case, is a metric for a company's overall financial health and the likelihood of continued growth.
International ETFs have been popular as investors have recently turned away from the shaky U.S. market. GRIN seems a likely target for new investment on those grounds alone.
However, its niche focus on free cash flow and large, growing firms helps to distinguish it from many popular international funds that cast a much wider net.
GRIN only narrows its portfolio to just over 100 companies in developed markets, ensuring a strong basket of high-performing names.
Whether the strategy pays off remains to be seen—having only launched in late June of this year, GRIN is a very young fund. Its expense ratio of 0.56% is the highest on this list, but if international markets continue to excel, it may seem well worth the cost.
The IRS Strategy Trump Quietly Backed for Retirement Wealth
The IRS Strategy Trump Quietly Backed for Retirement Wealth
Defensive Plays: 3 Consumer Staples Giants Showing Strength
The consumer staples sector has faced some significant challenges in recent months. Cost pressures due to persistent inflation, high commodity prices, and tariffs have damaged profit margins, while real average wages have fallen and caused consumers to tighten belts.
Investor attention has also turned more toward high-growth industries like AI, leaving consumer staples names facing high valuations and limited upside.
However, with economic uncertainty continuing to loom and many investors increasingly taking defensive postures, some stocks in the sector may be growing more attractive.
Major consumer staples firms enjoy the benefits of significant brand loyalty, pricing power, a history of dividends, and rising international profiles. Below we explore three consumer staples giants that might be worth a closer look heading into the final months of the year.
Constellation's International Presence, Brand Loyalty Could Drive 33% in Upside Potential
Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) is a significant producer, importer, and seller of alcoholic beverages in the United States and abroad, with brands including Modelo, Corona, Robert Mondavi Winery, and many others. Buoyed this month by news that Warren Buffett recently more than doubled his position in STZ shares, the company's year-to-date (YTD) decline of nearly 29% makes it an attractive value play with a price/sales ratio of just 2.56.
Despite reports that alcohol consumption in the United States is faltering, the global alcohol market is forecast to reach about $3 trillion by 2030. Thanks to its strong international presence and exceptional customer loyalty, Constellation is poised to benefit, particularly among Hispanic- and Latino-identifying consumers.
Some of the company's most prominent brands—Modelo and Corona, for example—are gaining market share, while Constellation's portfolio of premium and craft beverages increasingly appeals to younger customers.
Although Constellation's dividend payout ratio is a troubling -170.7%, the company nonetheless has maintained years of dividend increases and a yield of 2.56%. Analysts do see earnings growing by about 7% in the coming year, which may help to allay concerns.
Further, Wall Street expects that STZ shares could have more than 33% in upside potential, as the stock has earned a collective Moderate Buy rating.
Estée Lauder Benefits From Cost-Cutting, Margin Improvements
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) is one of the most visible skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products firms worldwide. The company is coming off of a mixed fourth quarter of its fiscal 2025, in which EPS and revenue both fell year-over-year (YOY) while the former ended up higher than analysts had predicted.
The firm's products are fairly heavily impacted by widespread dampening in consumer sentiment, which could continue to weigh down sales for the foreseeable future.
On the other hand, EL has been quite successful in managing its latest organizational transformation and is on track to save up to $1 billion annually through its right-sizing efforts. Gross margin expanded by 230 basis points to 74% in the latest quarter, and management has also forecast significant improvement in operating margin in the coming quarters.
These developments—combined with EL's leading positions in prestige beauty in multiple markets around the world—should help to carry the company through external and macro headwinds. Some of the company's value metrics, such as price/sales ratio, have recently been lower and thus more compelling than they have been in many years.
Mondelez Remains Steady Thanks to Market Share, Pricing Power, Loyalty
Snack food and beverage giant Mondelez International (NASDAQ: MDLZ) is diversified and hardy. Its substantial pricing power and brand loyalty allow it to hike prices to counter volume slippage and maintain organic growth.
For example, although EPS fell YOY in the latest quarter, Mondelez still beat analyst expectations; revenue, meanwhile, strong performances in emerging markets helped to boost revenue by about 8% YOY.
Mondelez enjoys one of the most substantial market shares of any food company. Its robust fundamentals and steady performance have allowed it to boost its dividend yield to 3.07%, one of the highest levels for this metric in many years.
With a sustainable dividend payout ratio and well over a decade of distribution increases, as well as strong free cash flow, which is likely to top $3 billion this year, Mondelez appears to be able to weather just about any storm while continuing to provide investors a solid recurring passive income stream.
The firm remains a Moderate Buy with more than 17% in upside potential, per analysts.
How a Family Trust May Be Able To Help Preserve Your Wealth
How a Family Trust May Be Able To Help Preserve Your Wealth
Low-Cost Global Exposure: 3 Diversified ETFs for Value Investors
Tumult in U.S. markets this year has prompted investors to search abroad for investment opportunities. While the S&P 500 has recovered from its early-April tariff-related dip, a number of international and value exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have managed to easily outperform its year-to-date (YTD) returns of 10.2%.
Besides volatility related to trade and regulatory policies, U.S. equities face high valuations that have prompted a shift toward non-U.S. markets. This can be seen in the increase in flows into international value strategy funds, particularly in the small-cap or dividend stocks space. Three ETFs, in particular, stand out as excellent options for investors looking to capitalize on this trend. All of them have YTD returns of at least 21%, which is well ahead of the broader U.S. stock space.
Low Cost, High Returns, Broad Diversification, But Just a Couple Caveats
The Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF (NYSEARCA: VEU) is among the largest, most liquid, and least expensive internationally focused ETFs currently available. With about $50 billion in assets under management (AUM) and a one-month average trading volume over 2.8 million, the fund's expense ratio of just 0.04% is a real bargain. On top of that, VEU pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share, translating to a 2.65% yield, giving investors meaningful income in addition to broad equity exposure.
VEU provides excellent and diverse coverage of much of the equities world. With nearly 3,800 holdings, the fund makes a good choice for investors looking for a single access point to the entire landscape of non-U.S. stocks. However, there are two considerations worth keeping in mind when it comes to diversification and VEU. First, while this ETF includes both emerging and developed markets, the former occupies only about 27% of the portfolio, while Europe makes up the majority of the remainder with a total of nearly 40% of invested assets. Second, VEU is primarily focused on large-cap names, potentially leaving out exposure to smaller firms worldwide.
Nonetheless, for the return, the ease of access, and the price—not to mention the benefit of dividend payments—VEU is a solid choice for this particular international moment.
Focus on Developed Market Value Stocks Pays Off
While VEU casts a very wide net when it comes to portfolio construction, the iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS: EFV) has a narrower focus. EFV targets stocks from markets outside of North America and has a particular interest in value names based on metrics like low pricing multiples. Companies in the EFV portfolio are based in developed markets and have valuations placing them in the large-cap space, further narrowing the portfolio to a total of over 400 names.
EFV's positions are geographically varied, but only roughly a dozen countries are represented in the portfolio. Japan, the U.K., and Germany collectively represent about half of invested assets, though on the level of individual stocks no single position represents more than roughly 2.3% of the portfolio.
Thanks to its focus on value stocks—including dividend-paying ones—EFV offers a solid dividend with an annual yield of 3.37%. What's more, the fund has returned more than 31% this year, confirming its stock selection process. For a relatively low expense ratio of 0.33%, investors get a lot in return.
Niche Strategy Targeting Small-Cap Value Stocks Provides Excellent Returns
With a unique focus on international small-cap value names, the Avantis International Small Cap Value ETF (NYSEARCA: AVDV) targets companies in developed markets that may be undervalued relative to their peers as indicated by high profitability ratios. The smallest of the three funds on this list and the most recently launched, AVDV has about $11.8 billion in AUM and a comparably lower one-month average trading volume of over 400,000.
Still, though, among the more than 1,400 holdings in AVDV's portfolio are firms representing many different sectors and geographies. Industrials, materials, and financials companies are especially prominent, and Japanese companies make up nearly a third of the fund, but regional diversification is not lacking.
Investors will likely be impressed with the fund's roughly 34% returns so far this year, all while delivering an annual dividend yield of 3.58%. Small-cap international names are a popular niche for a reason, and AVDV delivers well for investors with this specific set of parameters in mind. What's more the fund's costs are low for a specialized strategy like this one, with an expense ratio of 0.36%.
Capital Gains Tax Strategies for Seniors
Capital Gains Tax Strategies for Seniors
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