vrdiver wrote:Following a thread over in macro and global topics (
viewtopic.php?f=76&t=5251&p=89392&hilit=investing+in+robots#p89392 ) I was wondering if any fellow Lemons have taken a look at an ETF to invest in robots and AI companies?
There's the iShare ETF LSE: RBOT which sounds interesting, but is it all it's cracked up to be? I like the story, but have no idea of the reality vs the spin.
VRD
I attended Investival yesterday, where we were addressed by Richard Lightbound, the CEO EMEA of Robo Global who put this fund together with ETF. ETF also gave me a free fidget spinner, which is enormously satisfying to play with.
The fund:-
https://www.etfsecurities.com/Documents ... _Index.pdfhttps://www.trustnet.com/factsheets/e/k ... tf-nav-usd https://www.etfsecurities.com/Documents ... -%20EN.pdfPerformance is underpinned by a selection of stocks that met the criteria for Robo Global's Robotics and Automation. They mentioned a few companies but two stood out.
i) John Deere, who have been innovating so that a tractor can now take a robot to visually examine ad recognise plants in order give each one a tailored treatment as it passes over them.
ii) Renishaw, who make sensors.
They seem quite pleased with the progress made to date and are proud of their research-driven rules-based approach to capturing this 'megatrend'. There's plenty of good arguments for including it as a small % to help diversify a portfolio. The companies involved are in huge demand as we demand more and more automation, especially from companies who make robots within the automotive manufacturing sector (couldn't remember the names of the companies that they are utilising that do this) and for sensors for everything from drones in warehouses to mobile phones.
Richard also told us about his irobot vacuum cleaner, and how the latest one forms and creates maps of the area ot cleans and learns, for example to go first to where the toddler has dropped food in the same place at the same meal times. The original one he had used to get stuck in coreners or on table legs.
A tracker is one way to get exposure to this extremely interesting and 'fun' sector. You might however prefer to opt to invest directly in some of the companies they include?
More reading:-
https://www.etfsecurities.com/Documents ... dology.pdf for Index Methodology
https://www.etfsecurities.com/Documents ... dology.pdf Index classification
DYOR as ever.