- The Barron's 400 has regularly beaten the S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:SPY) since its 2007 launch, writes Chris Dieterich, and also powers the Barron's 400 ETF (NYSEARCA:BFOR), which has topped the S&P 500 by nearly 500 basis points since starting in June 2013. BFOR is up 6% YTD, more than double that of the S&P 500.
- Among those added to the index during last week's twice-yearly rebalancing were Celgene (NASDAQ:CELG), American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL), Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX), and Ameriprise Financial (NYSE:AMP).
- Among those dropped were McDonald's (NYSE:MCD), Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC), Verizon (NYSE:VZ), and IBM.
- A "ruthless" quantitative security-selection method screens for growth, value, and cash flow, and filters further with other factors such as diversification.