First Look ETF: Ex-US International, US Equity, and Faith-Based ETFs

Hello everyone. You are watching the January episode of First Look ETF. Welcome to season 6. I'm Stephanie Stanton with ETF Guide. A very happy new year to all of our viewers. We have a fantastic episode to kick off the new year.

Coming up on today's show, the resurgence in international stocks is getting more attention these days. We're going to explore an ETF from Even Tide Investments that targets this rebounding trend. Plus, we'll tell you about an ETF suite from SSNC Alps that uses a factor-driven rules-based equity strategy with an emphasis on quality and income. And finally, we'll take a look at an ETF from GQG Partners that blends active management fundamental stock selection with a riskaware philosophy, all of it inside a single ticker.

But first, before we go any further, let's welcome ML Legum with the New York Stock Exchange. ML, thank you for joining us. Happy 2026.

Thanks, Stephanie. It's great to be back for the first episode of 2026. All right, let's kick things off with the latest update on ETF launch activity. How are things shaping up?

As we closed out the year, the industry is inching towards 5,000 ETFs in the US market, a milestone that speaks to incredible growth. Here at the New York Stock Exchange, we're proud to say that about 75% of all US ETF assets under managements are listed right here. December alone saw 135 new launches, capping off a year of unprecedented product development. In total, the market welcomed over 900 new ETFs, smashing all previous records.

And it wasn't just ETF launches. ETF inflows hit nearly 1.5 trillion in 2025, averaging about 6 billion a day. That's another record for the books. With innovation investor demand at an all-time high, ETFs continue to redefine the marketplace. And I certainly can't wait to see what this year has to bring.

Last year was a remarkable year. The ETF industry hit many big milestones. For 2026, what trends in the ETF marketplace are on your radar?

Active ETFs continue to surge. In fact, they captured nearly a third of all inflows last year and now represent a majority of new launches. Expect fierce competition on performance and fees. After many years of waiting this year, multi-share class ETFs become a reality, giving issuers new flexibility in structuring products.

We also see cash-like ETFs remain in high demand as investors seek safe haven with ultrashort treasury and money market fund like ETFs setting new records. Defined outcome strategies, adoptionbased ETF are also booming. Covered calls and derivative overlays are attracting investors looking for income, even more complex structures. And finally, crypto ETFs enter a new phase with streamline SEC guidelines.

We could see over a 100 new launches, including multicoin products, though we're likely to see crowding and consolidation in that space as well. The future for ETF continues to be bright. They've truly become the rapper of choice with strong retail adoption and innovation at driving the next wave of growth.

ML, we have a great guest lineup as always. What are you looking forward to on today's show? First up, we have Alps Oshares, who made headlines late last year by bringing four of their funds back to the NYC. Always great to see that kind of commitment to our marketplace. Event joins us bringing their unique investing in good approach to the ETF space. And rounding out the lineup, GQG Partners, a boutique investment manager that recently debuted their first ETF.

With innovation and fresh ideas from these issuers, today's conversations are going to be insightful and forward-looking. Stay tuned. You won't want to miss it.

And we're going to wrap it up right there. ML, thank you so much for the update. Keep up the good work and we will see you very soon.

Thank you.

And just a quick reminder to watch First Look ETF on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku. Also, we simoc cast First Look ETF on iTunes and Spotify, so don't miss it. The Alps Oshare suite of ETFs is one of the more unique ETF lineups. To select stocks, the funds use a rules-based and factor-driven strategy with an emphasis on equity income quality and minimal volatility.

Well, here to tell us more along with recent changes in the lineup is Paul Maki, head of fund sales and strategy with SSNC Alps Advisors. Paul, always a pleasure to see you.

Always great to see you as well, Stephanie. So your firm recently transferred the listings of four Alps OShares ETFs to the NYSC ARCA. Explain why this was done and then what impact it will have on ETF shareholders.

Yeah, so the most important venue for trading securities of any type in the world is the New York Stock Exchange. They've been an incredibly important partner to us for a couple decades now. And this is really just about optimization of our business and of our lineup. And given that the NYC Arca is home to some of the most important products and securities in the world, it was a natural way for us to continue to provide the appropriate venue for the allocators who interface with Alps products on an ongoing basis.

Just anecdotally, we were there last year to celebrate the 15-year anniversary of AMLP, our largest flagship ETF. And it was an experience that was meaningful to me having been in the industry for a long time, but also was a really important opportunity for us to engage with our clients at a very important place in financial services.

Yeah, absolutely. Let's take a deeper dive into this lineup, the Alps OShares lineup. You've got these four products inside of it. What makes it a compelling solution for ETF investors and maybe give us some nuggets of some of these four products?

Yeah, so O gig, the global internet giants ETF is kind of the one sore thumb if you want to call it that within the lineup because it's distinct in terms of what it's trying to do for investors. And so I'll just focus on the quality components of the lineup. OEFA, the developed XUS version as well as the small cap version O USM and the large cap version O USA.

And ultimately what all of these products are trying to do is take a segment of the market and improve the overall quality through screening for things like return on assets. So are you able to generate profitability on your asset base, net debt to IBIDA, are you able to generate that profitability without excess leverage? and then also make sure that the portfolio doesn't have a vicious draw down profile and doesn't have significantly higher volatility.

And so if you're looking at large caps, if you're looking at small and midcaps, if you're looking at developed XUS stocks, what the Oshares lineup does is take that universe, that starting universe, which is made up of a number of different types of companies in different sectors, and ensure that the companies you own have profits that are generated without excess leverage. They pay a dividend, they grow a dividend, and they have low relative volatility.

And so at its core, the strategies do exactly what they say they do in their name, which is quality dividends. So quality companies with a strong dividend profile driven by really their ability to grow their dividends over time and cover those dividends.

Yeah. I mean, obviously back to basics, right? So how do you see advisers and investors using these ETFs as part of an overall investment portfolio strategy?

The way we try and message the OSHA's lineup to investors is are you looking at a segment of the market and trying to take on an allocation but are not necessarily trying to take the full risk of that allocation. And I think O USM is a great example of that because as you know off of that tariff tantrum bottom in the spring of last year we saw quite a rally in small caps and out of the COVID bottom we saw quite a rally in small caps but it was often led by the lowest quality companies in that universe companies that don't generate profits.

40% or so of the Russell 2000 famously doesn't make money or is unprofitable and those are the types of companies that are excluded from O USM. And so O USM is never going to promise to give you full participation in a rally like that. But what it's also typically done historically is avoid the violent draw downs that come in that segments of the market in many cases without warning.

And so some draw down protection, draw down avoidance, but also ensuring that when you're allocating on a core basis to large caps, to small caps, to developed XUS, that you're doing so with a portfolio that's been called down based on that factor methodology to ensure that those companies generate profitability without excess leverage, pay a dividend, grow their dividend, and have dividends that are well supported by fundamentals.

And that is really the core philosophy. This is a way to take the market and orient it toward that quality factor while also ensuring that you get a dividend profile that is also well supported.

Good stuff. We are going to leave it right there. Paul, it's great to see you again. So happy to have you join us here on First Look ETF and good luck to you.

Always a pleasure. Thank you so much and you have a great year.

After more than a decade of US dominance, global equities have quietly flipped the script. Over the past year, international markets have begun to outpace the S&P 500 powered by cheaper valuations, improving economic sentiment abroad, and a rebound in regions like Europe and China. Well, here to discuss that, plus a new ETF targeting this area of the global stock market is Chris Grogan, portfolio manager, director of asset allocation services with Even Tide Investments. Chris, thank you so much for joining us.

Thanks Stephanie. Thanks for having me. You're very welcome. Before we launch into your latest ETF, please familiarize our audience with Even Tide.