The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) put up another lousy performance in September. It slid by 7.3% across the month to finish at 6,474 points.

But this single-digit fall stacks up rather favourably to some ASX exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that turned in disappointing performances.

Using data from Google Finance, let's check out the worst-performing ETFs on the ASX in September. 

Global X Hydrogen ETF (ASX: HGEN)

The Global X Hydrogen ETF found itself at the back of the pack, drudging up an 18.4% loss in September.

The HGEN ETF aims to provide investors with exposure to companies that stand to benefit from the advancement of the global hydrogen industry. 

Some of its top holdings include Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG), a provider of turnkey hydrogen and fuel cell solutions, and Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE), a manufacturer and marketer of solid oxide fuel cells.

The HGEN ETF was formerly managed by ETF Securities before the ETF provider was taken over by Global X.

HGEN was one of the ASX's best ETF performers in August. It climbed 8.2% across the month as investors bid up hydrogen stocks in anticipation of the Inflation Reduction Act being passed in the US.

It appears momentum ran out of steam in September. Sentiment towards these hydrogen companies turned sour, sending the HGEN ETF down with it.

VanEck FTSE International Property (Hedged) ETF (ASX: REIT)

The VanEck REIT ETF took out unwanted second place, crumbling 14.5% in September to finish the month at $14.98.

The REIT ETF aims to provide investors with exposure to a portfolio of international property securities from developed markets, excluding Australia. 

The REIT ETF comprises around 340 companies. Some of the top holdings include Prologis Inc (NYSE: PLD), a global leader in logistics real estate, Equinix Inc (NASDAQ: EQIX), a data centre company, and Public Storage (NYSE: PSA), the largest self-storage company in the US.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are thought to be rather resilient in an inflationary environment as property prices and rental income keep up with inflation.

However, REITs have been battered and bruised this year over concerns about rising interest rates. In a rising interest rate environment, the high yields on offer from REITs become less attractive compared to lower-risk, fixed income options.

What's more, REITs are mainly funded through debt, which becomes more expensive as interest rates head north.

SPDR S&P/ASX 200 Listed Property Fund (ASX: SLF)

ASX REITs weren't immune to this selling pressure in September. As a result, the SLF ETF sat in third place with a 13.9% monthly fall.

The SLF ETF seeks to track the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ), which comprises the 24 REITs in the ASX 200 index. 

Nearly one-quarter of SLF's portfolio is weighted to Goodman Group (ASX: GMG). Other top holdings include Scentre Group (ASX: SCG), Dexus Property Group (ASX: DXS), Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP), and Mirvac Group (ASX: MGR).

The SLF ETF has tumbled around 33% in the year to date as ASX REITs have been sold off on the back of rising interest rates.

The post These were the worst-performing ASX ETFs in September appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Investors can get this exposure to the hydrogen industry from ETF Securities for an annual management fee of 0.69%.

Why is hydrogen good for the environment?

There are high hopes that hydrogen can prove to be a key enabler of decarbonisation.

It reportedly has three times more energy on a 'weight for weight' basis than petrol, while producing no carbon dioxide emissions.

The idea is that hydrogen can be used to replace fossil fuel in areas that have been difficult to decarbonise in the past.

There are plenty of businesses in the world looking to provide technology, products, services, or expertise in relation to hydrogen and helping the world transition to greener fuels.

What shares are in the ETFs Hydrogen ETF?

The Solactive Global Hydrogen ESG Index is made up of 30 hydrogen businesses around the world. That's the index that ETFs Hydrogen ETF seeks to track before expenses and so on.

Looking at the country allocation, these are the biggest five weightings at the end of November 2021: the US (32.6%), the UK (23.9%), South Korea (15.7%), Canada (9.3%) and Norway (6.8%).

At the latest disclosure, these are the biggest 10 positions: Plug Power, Bloom Energy, Ballard Power, ITM Power, Doosan Fuel Cell, Ceres Power, Fuelcell Energy, Linde, Air Products & Chemicals and Doosan Corp.

What do they do?

Let's look at what the largest five holdings do.

Plug Power – It is involved in building the 'green hydrogen' economy. It says it's the leading provider of clean hydrogen and zero-emission fuel cell solutions that are both cost-effective and reliable.

Bloom Energy – This business provides an onsite energy platform. It's based on proprietary solid oxide fuel cell technology. Its servers convert fuel into electricity through an electrochemical process without combustion at high efficiency. Bloom Energy says its platform provides multiple pathways for decarbonisation: hydrogen fuel cells, electrolysers, biogas, marine, and carbon capture.

Ballard Power – The company says that it's the leading global provider of innovative clean energy fuel cell solutions. Its products are aimed at different uses including buses, trucks, trains, propulsion for the marine industry and so on.

ITM Power – Next in the ETFs Hydrogen ETF is ITM Power, which manufactures integrated hydrogen energy solutions to enhance the utilisation of renewable energy that would otherwise be wasted.

Doosan Fuel Cell – It provides green, reliable and robust energy solutions. It says its technology is best suited for power plants, cold storages, large buildings, or spas as it generates 440KW electricity and heat together.

The post Own ETFs Hydrogen ETF (ASX:HGEN)? Here's what you're invested in appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

It has been a disappointing past month for the ETFS Hydrogen ETF (ASX: HGEN) share price. However, today has bucked the trend as the hydrogen-focused exchange-traded fund swings to the upside.

In afternoon trade, the clean energy ETF is fetching a price of $11.85, representing an increase of 3.04% from its previous close. Despite the gain, the fund remains 15% below its 52-week high, which was set on 15 November 2021.

Shares in the ASX-listed Hydrogen ETF are rising in value today as a string of notable companies announce further hydrogen ambitions.

Industry titans dipping their toes in hydrogen

The green revolution has been relentless in attempting to upend traditional energy companies. As onlookers become more anxious about the world's overreliance on fossil fuels, a swathe of more renewable and/or emission-free alternatives have gained traction.

More recently, hydrogen has been held to a high standard as an emission-free replacement to carbon-producing energy sources. For instance, Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) founder Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest has been advocating for hydrogen.

The company's subsidiary, Fortescue Industries aims to produce 15 million tonnes of water-derived fuel by 2030. Though, investors of the Hydrogen ETF are likely looking at the latest accomplices to join the fray with eager eyes.

Today, the hydrogen industry gained two major energy companies as participants in the hydrogen industry. While the companies haven't announced a complete upheaval of their fossil fuel foundations, they have indicated — at a minimum — interest in hydrogen energy.

The companies in question are AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) and Royal Dutch Shell (LSE: RDSA). Firstly, Shell has entered into a joint venture with BlueScope Steel Limited (ASX: BSL) to develop hydrogen projects at the Port Kembla Steelworks. Similarly, AGL has partnered with Fortescue Future Industries to explore the development of a hydrogen hub in the Hunter Valley.

Certainly, these announcements show a genuine interest from energy giants in testing the hydrogen waters. As such, investors of the Hydrogen ETF have likely gained a heightened conviction for hydrogen's involvement in the future of energy.

How has the Hydrogen ETF performed?

Since listing on 7 October 2021, the ETFS Hydrogen ETF share price has rallied 17.2%. Interestingly, while the ETF is listed on the ASX, it does not contain any Australian companies. Instead, its constituents are predominantly based in the United States. However, the fund's lack of Aussie companies has not held it back from outperforming the ASX.

The post Why is the ETFS Hydrogen ETF (ASX:HGEN) share price climbing today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

It seems time has not yet got the better of HGEN either. As it stands today, HGEN units are currently trading at a unit price of $13.23, down a nasty 2.86% so far today. Even so, this price means HGEN is now more than 30% above the price it was when it first hit the ASX boards (just over $10 a unit). It also means HGEN is up close to 20% over just the past month. Needless to say, the good times just seem to keep on rolling with this hydrogen ETF.

So why has this ETF enjoyed such a strong opening to life on the ASX?

HGEN ETF fires on all cylinders

Well, to answer that, let's take a look at some of HGEN's major holdings. Like all sharemarket-based ETFs, HGEN holds an underlying portfolio of shares. In this ETF's case, these shares are chosen to offer investors "exposure to the world's leading hydrogen companies, with a focus on pure-plays".

As it stands today (well, as of 31 October), HGEN's top 5 holdings are as follows:

1. Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ: PLUG) with a portfolio weighting of 11.3%
2. Bloom Energy Corp (NYSE: BE) with a portfolio weighting of 9.9%
3. Ballard Power Systems Inc (NYSE: BLDP) with a portfolio weighting of 9.6%
4. ITM Power plc (LON: ITM) with a weighting of 8.1%
5. Ceres Power Holdings plc (LON: CWR) with a weighting of 7.1%

So let's check out how these shares have performed over the past month – which will give us some idea as to why HGEN has performed so admirably as well.

So HGEN's largest holding in Plug Power has enjoyed an exceptional month of returns, rising 28.3% over the past 4 weeks or so.

But that pales against Bloom Energy. Bloom shares have risen almost 43% over the same period.

Ballard Power Systems has given a far more muted performance, 'only' rising by 12.15% over the same period. Ditto with ITM Power which is up by around 10.4%.

And, finally, Ceres Power isn't straying too far from those returns either, rising 9.25% since 18 October.

So we can see that HGEN's stellar returns over the past month have been powered by (apologies) its primary positions in Plug Power and Bloom Energy.

With the month this ETF has enjoyed, I'm sure HGEN's investors can't wait for the next one to roll around.

The post Why has the ETFs Hydrogen ETF (ASX:HGEN) leapt almost 20% in a month? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

So how is HGEN going as it rapidly approaches the one-month mark?

HGEN: The most explosive hydrogen investment since the Hindenburg?

Well, as this ETF stands today, it's trading at $11.98 per unit, up 0.25%. Since this ETF floated at a unit price of roughly $10.09, this means that the HGEN ETF is now up an impressive more than 18% since its ASX debut just 3 weeks ago. If this ETF continues at the current pace (for the record, unlikely), its investors will become very rich very quickly.

Let's check out the underlying companies that are responsible for these rapid gains. So according to the fund provider, HGEN invests in a "concentrated portfolio of hydrogen companies with a focus on pure plays".

The fund tracks the Solactive Global Hydrogen ESG Index, which presently holds 30 companies within it. As it stands today, the 5 largest of these holdings are Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ: PLUG), Ballard Power Systems Inc (NASDAQ: BLDP), ITM Power plc (LON: ITM), Bloom Energy Corp (NYSE: BE) and Doosan Fuel Cell Co Ltd (KRK: 336260). 

Since this ETF's ASX float, Plug Power shares are up 31.9%. Ballard Power Systems shares have risen by roughly 19%, while ITM Power is up 24.9%. Bloom Energy has appreciated by 44.1% while Doosan is up 13.9%.

Looking at these numbers, and it's fairly easy to see why HGEN has had such a successful first 3 weeks on the ASX.

The ETFS Hydrogen ETF charges a management fee of 0.69% per annum, or $69 per year for every $10,000 invested.

The post How has the ETFS Hydrogen ETF (ASX:HGEN) share price been performing since listing? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

But today, it's time to check back in on this new ETF. It has certainly gained some distance from its first day of trading.

Just as a recap, the ETFS Hydrogen ETF invests in a portfolio of global companies (around 30) that centre on the emerging 'hydrogen economy'. These companies mostly hail from the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Korea (amongst others).

Some of its largest holdings include Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ: PLUG), Ballard Power Systems Inc (NASDAQ: BLDP), and ITM Power plc (LON: ITM). These come from the Solactive Global Hydrogen ESG Index that HGEN tracks. 

So, how exactly has this exciting new ETF performed since its 7 October ASX float?

ASX hydrogen ETF powers higher

Well, this ETF's first pricing quotes on the ASX started at around $10.09 per unit back on 7 October. Today, ETFS Hydrogen ETF units are currently (at the time of writing) being priced at $11.28. That's an increase of 11.8% over what has been little more than a fortnight. Not bad, one could say.

But that's not where the story ends. This ETFS Hydrogen ETF had quite a dramatic week last week too. On Thursday morning, the ETF spiked from the previous day's close of $10.94 a unit to a new high of $$12.25 at market open. That unit price is more than 21% above the initial October pricing.

Although HGEN units are now almost 8% below that high watermark at today's pricing, it's still worthwhile pointing out that investors enjoyed a near-18% bump in just 2 days.

The ETFS Hyfdrogen ETF charges a management fee of 0.69% per annum.

The post The Hydrogen ETF (ASX:HGEN) share price jumped 18% last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

As we covered yesterday, ETFS has now launched a hydrogen-focused ETF product, focusing on the emerging 'hydrogen economy'.

Hydrogen is an element that forms a gas in its rare, pure form. However, it is abundant on earth in water (the H in H2O). Pure hydrogen is a powerful fuel (as the Hindenburg infamously discovered), and can be used to generate and store clean energy. As such, there is a lot of interest in hydrogen's potential future applications, and its role in helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.

But until now, there was no ASX ETF that investors could turn to if they wanted exposure to some of the companies in this exciting space.

New Hydrogen ETF joins the ASX

No longer. The ETFS Hydrogen ETF has just floated on the ASX, meaning any investor can now buy shares, as they would with any other ETF or company.

So how has this new ETF performed so far on its first day of trading?

Well, HGEN units opened this morning at a price of $10.09. At the present time, they are up 0.3% to $10.12 a unit.

Not a spectacular debut in the leagues of some other recent ASX IPOs, but still a solid initial performance one could say.

So what kinds of companies does this new ETF invest in?

Well, according to the provider, this ETF is currently invested in a portfolio of 30 shares. These 30 companies are spread pretty evenly around the world. 27% of the holdings call the United Kingdom home, while another 26.3% do the same for the United States. South Korea is next up with an allocation of 17.1%, followed by Canada with 9.8%.

Here's a list of HGEN's current top 10 holdings:

1. Ballard Power Systems Inc (NYSE: BLDP) with a portfolio weighting of 8.5%
2. ITM Power plc (LON: ITM) with a weighting of 7.7%
3. Ceres Power Holdings plc (LON: CWR) with a weighting of 6.9%
4. Linde plc (NYSE: LIN) with a weighting of 4.8%
5. Johnson Matthey plc (LON: JMAT) with a weighting of 5.5%
6. McPhy Energy SAS (EPA: MCPHY) with a weighting of 1.4%
7. Luxfer Holdings plc (NYSE: LXFR) with a weighting of 1.4%
8. AFC Energy plc (LON: AFC) with a weighting of 1.2%
9. Xebec Adsorption Inc. (TSE: XBC) with a weighting of 0.9%
10. Fusion Fuel Green plc  (NASDAQ: HTOO) with a weighting of 0.3%

The ETFS Hydrogen ETF tracks the Solactive Global Hydrogen ESG Index, which has delivered a performance of 40% over the past 12 months. HGEN charges a management fee of 0.69% per annum.

The post The ETFS Hydrogen ETF (ASX:HGEN) just debuted on the ASX. How is it going? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Along with electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel is touted by many experts and manufacturers as the next big solution to help us move beyond environmentally destructive petrol.

But as an ASX shares investor, how do you identify which companies are involved in the hydrogen industry?

Fortunately, this week ETF Securities will provide an easy answer to that question.

The fund provider's latest product, ETFS Hydrogen ETF (ASX: HGEN), will commence trading on the ASX on Thursday.

According to the company, the portfolio will comprise 30 stocks from the developed world with "a heavy exposure" to hydrogen.

ETF Securities has not revealed the specific stocks at the time of writing.

Is this like the internet in the 1990s?

ETF Securities head of distribution Kanish Chugh said that the "hydrogen economy" is still in an early stage.

"However, its potential applications are limitless – from making fertiliser to powering the world's transport systems."

He equated the current state of the hydrogen industry to the internet in the 1990s or semiconductors in the 1970s.

"In these instances, disruptive technologies reached tipping points and saw exponential uptake. Their uptake was driven by megatrends – which are one-off structural shifts in the economy and society."

ETF Securities' hydrogen ETF is understood to be the first exchange-traded fund on the ASX that solely focuses on hydrogen.

There are several of these funds already trading in overseas share markets.

Governments are subsidising hydrogen

To encourage cleaner fuels, governments around the globe are subsidising the development of hydrogen products, according to ETF Securities.

"Much of the current technology in the hydrogen industry is based around fossil fuel-based hydrogen," the fund provider stated.

"However, new technology threatens to disrupt this old market, promising to bring the costs of green hydrogen down and production volumes up."

While many mining companies are involved in extracting hydrogen, the new ETF reportedly will not invest in stocks that don't meet ESG criteria.

"An ESG filter, using data from Minerva Analytics, [that] excludes companies involved in controversial weapons, small arms, gambling, tobacco and fossil fuels, or which are non-compliant with the United Nations Global Compact."

"The fund also removes oil, gas and coal companies."

The post Want to buy ASX shares in hydrogen? Here's how appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.