NYLI Global Equity R&D Leaders ETF

NYLI Global Equity R&D Leaders ETF (WRND) tracks an index of about 200 large and mid-sized companies worldwide that invest heavily and efficiently in research and development, led by Alphabet, Nvidia and Apple. Unlike its U.S.-focused sister fund, LRND, it keeps at least 30% of assets abroad, in names such as Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor. It costs 0.18% a year and is very small, with $10.4 million in assets as of July 31, 2026.

• Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, WRND returned +12.9%, 4th of 9 among similar funds.
• Its worst full calendar year was 2024 (+13.4%); its best was 2023 (+34.9%).
• The deepest fall in its price history was 18.4% (Feb 20, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025), recovered by Jun 6, 2025.

As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 204 securities; the ten largest made up 50.3% of assets.

By sector

• Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors withdrew a net $40K (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +5.84%, -2.44%, -0.30%.

WRND aims to match, before fees, the NYLIM Global Equity R&D Leaders Index, which the fund's own advisor designs. The index starts with the FTSE All-World Index, covering large and mid-sized U.S. and foreign companies, including emerging markets. It drops sectors where research and development (R&D) has historically mattered less. Then it ranks the rest on R&D spending as a share of sales, measured against sector peers, and on return on invested capital, a gauge of how efficiently a company turns money into profit. The top 200 make the cut.

Those 200 are weighted by market value, so bigger companies count more. At each rebalance, a stock is capped at the greater of 5% or its weight in the FTSE All World Growth Index plus 2 percentage points. Sectors are capped at the greater of 20% or their growth-index weight plus 5 points. That leaves room for big positions: as of July 31, 2026, Alphabet was 8.6% of the fund and the top 10 holdings were 50.3%.

The index is rebuilt and reweighted every quarter, and portfolio turnover was 91%, high for an index fund. The trading costs from that turnover aren't included in the 0.18% expense ratio. The fund keeps at least 30% of assets outside the U.S., so currency swings affect returns. It held no derivatives as of July 31, 2026.

• WRND charges 0.18% a year, versus an average of 0.16% for the similar funds below (7th of 9, cheapest first).
• The fee includes a 0.01% waiver from the adviser, which may end.
• Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $18 in the first year and $230 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).

It is a very small stock fund with about half its assets in its top 10 holdings and a short record, so it fits a supporting role better than a foundation role.

WRND could add a global tilt toward research-heavy companies such as Nvidia and Samsung, but its record is short. It didn't exist in 2008 or 2020. It launched in February 2022, partway through that year's bear market, so it has no full-year 2022 result. Its weakest full year, 2024, was still a 13.86% gain. Its deepest drop since October 2022 was 18.4%, from February 20 to April 8, 2025, and it was recovered by June 6, 2025. Its beta of 1.44 for the year to October 27, 2026, means it has swung harder than the overall market. That matters for withdrawals during a slump. Its 0.95% yield over the same 12 months, paid quarterly, adds little income. Costs are 0.18% a year, or $18 on $10,000 over one year in the SEC's example. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.