KBE tracks an equal-weighted index of US banking securities and will generally invest at least 80% of its total assets in such securities. The index represents the bank segment of the S&P Total Market Index and comprises the following sub-industries: Asset Management & Custody Banks, Diversified Banks, Regional Banks, Other Diversified Financial Services, and Thrifts & Mortgage Finance. The index is also equally-weighted at each quarterly rebalancing which puts giant banks on equal footing with smaller ones (at rebalance at least) and increases the emphasis on smaller firms on the whole. KBE fills a niche by providing exposure to a broad selection of banks in an equal-weighted wrapper.
