- Business
- Day Hagan/Ned Davis Research Smart Sector Fixed Income ETF (SSFI) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks total return through income and capital appreciation by investing principally in unaffiliated fixed income exchange-traded funds across nine categories: U.S. investment grade corporate bonds; U.S. long-term treasury securities; U.S. mortgage-backed securities; international investment grade bonds; U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities; U.S. high yield bonds; emerging market bonds; U.S. floating rate notes; and U.S. cash. The fund employs proprietary quantitative models co-developed with Ned Davis Research, incorporating macroeconomic, technical, behavioral, credit, and currency indicators to allocate weights dynamically among categories, overweighting attractive sectors while reducing exposure during periods of elevated risk, including via a daily risk management overlay and the NDR Catastrophic Sell Stop model. SSFI benchmarks against the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index, trades on NYSE Arca, and maintains a gross expense ratio of 0.76%, with at least 80% of net assets allocated to fixed income securities without constraints on duration, maturity, or domicile, including emerging markets and below-investment-grade debt.
Day Hagan Asset Management, founded in 2004 and headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, serves as investment advisor, with Donald L. Hagan, CFA, Arthur S. Day, and Regan Teague, CFA, CFP, as lead portfolio managers. The firm partners with Ned Davis Research, a provider of independent investment research, leveraging its models for sector allocation decisions in SSFI, which launched on September 29, 2021. SSFI operates within the nontraditional bond segment, targeting investors seeking tactical fixed income exposure amid varying interest rate, credit, and economic environments, with global reach through its underlying funds spanning U.S., international developed, and emerging markets.
Recent developments include a name change sticker issued on October 2, 2025, alongside creation unit adjustments on August 19, 2025, reflecting ongoing operational refinements, as well as updated prospectuses and financial statements through September 1, 2025, and portfolio holdings reports as of July 31, 2025. The fund continues its established collaboration with Ned Davis Research, building on prior joint launches such as the Smart Sector International ETF in 2022, with no reported acquisitions, funding rounds, or major strategic shifts in the last 1-2 years. SSFI remains distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC, with management focused on weight-of-the-evidence processes to navigate fixed income market dynamics.