Biblically Responsible Inspire Global Hope ETF - NYSE: BLES - Beats Benchmark in Debut Year Performance

SAN JOSE, Calif., August 2, 2018 (Newswire.com) - ​The Inspire Global Hope ETF [NYSE: BLES], the largest exchange-traded fund (ETF) from biblically responsible asset management firm Inspire Investing, has outperformed its benchmark in its debut year of trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

“We are thrilled with the performance of BLES, which bolsters our belief that good values and good returns are not mutually exclusive,” said Robert Netzly, CEO of Inspire Investing.

We are thrilled with the performance of BLES, which bolsters our belief that good values and good returns are not mutually exclusive.

Robert Netzly, CEO, Inspire Investing

BLES returned 10.64 percent annualized since its inception on Feb. 28, 2017, through the end of the second quarter on June 30, 2018, and returned 9.29 percent over the 12 months prior to the end of the quarter. With those returns, BLES outperformed the benchmark MSCI ACWI Equal Weighted Index by 2.48 percent over the past 12-month time frame and beat the benchmark by 0.30 percent annualized since inception.¹

The Net Asset Value (NAV) performance of BLES was slightly better over that same date range, with 10.81% returns since inception and 9.62% returns over the previous 12 months.​

(Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance data quoted here represents past performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted above. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Inspire Funds are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. To obtain performance data current to the most recent month-end, plesae call 877.658.9473, or visit www.inspireetf.com.)

About The Inspire Global Hope ETF [NYSE: BLES]

The Inspire Global Hope ETF [NYSE: BLES] seeks to replicate investment results that generally correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Inspire Global Hope Large Cap Index. BLES invests on a global scale, searching out inspiring, biblically aligned large companies ($5 billion-plus market cap) from both the U.S. and around the world. BLES targets a geographic composition of 50 percent United States, 40 percent developed international and 10 percent emerging markets. BLES is equally weighted, rebalanced quarterly and designed as a core equity holding.

BLES was nominated as a finalist for “Best New ESG ETF - 2017” in the ETF.com & Inside ETFs Industry Awards and registered net assets over $82 million as of June 30, 2018.

Controversial Launch

BLES launched on Feb. 28, 2017, sparking global media attention for Inspire Investing and the biblically responsible investing movement. Two days after launch, The New York Times ran an article on page B1, the front page of their print business section, with the headline “Funds Invoke Bible Values, Others See Intolerance” and discussed the rising trend of biblically responsible investing and the opposing views of socially conservative faith-based investors and socially liberal investors.

Numerous other articles and feature stories soon came to print and television from The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, FOX News with Brett Baer and other major media outlets. Some of these pundits praised the growth of faith-based investment options while others decried the biblical values that Inspire and other biblically responsible investment managers advocate for.  

Rapid Growth

Despite the controversial launch, BLES has grown rapidly along with Inspire’s other biblically responsible ETFs, helping Inspire gain recognition as the No. 5 fastest-growing registered investment advisor (RIA) firm in the nation in 2017, according to Financial Advisor Magazine’s “Top 50 Fastest Growing RIAs” annual report.

“That a biblically responsible investing firm such as Inspire Investing was ranked as the fifth-fastest-growing RIA in the country is evidence that the biblically responsible investing movement is accelerating at a rapid pace. At Inspire, we are committed to furthering that movement by providing investors with quality investment options that support biblical values and seek to make meaningful impact in the lives of people around the world,” commented Netzly.

Inspiring Transformation Around The World

Inspire Investing not only invests in inspiring, impactful companies -- they also strive to be one. Inspire donates 50 percent or more of their corporate profits to Christian ministry every year with a goal of donating $1 billion over their first 10 years. Last year alone Inspire built a clean water well for impoverished villagers in Nepal, provided relief for Syrian refugees and Hurricane Harvey victims, sent Bibles into North Korea and shared the hope of Christ with thousands of youth in America.

And this year Inspire has begun work transforming an entire village in the mountains of Guatemala with clean water, schooling, a medical clinic, vocational training, child sponsorship and a church building. That is just one more way Inspire is striving to help investors work towards their financial goals while also making an impact in the lives of people across the globe.

For more information on Inspire Investing, please visit www.inspireinvesting.com.

For media inquiries or interview requests, contact inspire@inspireinvesting.com.

About Inspire Investing
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in the Silicon Valley of California, Inspire Investing seeks to create meaningful impact in the lives of people across the globe by providing index-based, biblically aligned investments that support Christian ministry and is a leading authority in the Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) movement. For more information, visit www.inspireinvesting.com.

* Disclaimer: Investment advisory services offered through CWM Advisors LLC dba Inspire, a Registered Investment Advisor with the SEC.

Media contact:
Eric Smyth
(831)382-6572
inspire@inspireinvesting.com

¹ Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance data quoted here represents past performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted above. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Inspire Funds are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. (Fund operating expenses are 0.75 percent gross/0.61 percent net.) 

Important Risk Information: Inspire, the adviser, provides the index for the Inspire ETFs to track. The indexes use software that analyzes publicly available data relating to the primary business activities, products and services, philanthropy, legal activities, policies and practices when assigning Inspire Impact Scores to a company. The securities with the highest Inspire Impact Scores are included in the Indexes and are equally or market cap weighted. As the Fund may not fully replicate the Index, it is subject to the risk that investment management strategy may not produce the intended results.

The Inspire ETFs are new with a limited history of operations for investors to evaluate. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective, generate positive returns or avoid losses.

Securities in the Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. The Fund may focus its investments in securities of a particular industry to the extent the Index does. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value to fluctuate more than that of a fund that does not focus in a particular industry. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will cause the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund to fluctuate.

Investments in foreign securities could subject the Fund to greater risks including, currency fluctuation, economic conditions, and different governmental and accounting standards.

The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser will not sell shares of an equity security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index methodology. Tracking error may occur because of imperfect correlation between the Fund’s holdings of portfolio securities and those in the Index. The Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach, if used, could result in its holding a smaller number of securities than are in the Index. To the extent the assets in the Fund are smaller, these risks will be greater.

Before investing, consider the fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. To obtain a prospectus which contains this and other information, call 877.658.9473 or visit www.inspireetf.com. Read it carefully. The Inspire ETFs are distributed by Northern Lights Distributors LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. Inspire and Northern Lights Distributors LLC are not affiliated. 3748-NLD-7/30/2018

Source: Inspire Investing