Rail ETF

Screening Filters

1. names: ['Transportation', 'Transport', 'Rail', 'Railroad']

   • Purpose: Find ETFs whose names clearly indicate exposure to transportation and, more specifically, railroads.
   • Rationale:
     • Most “railroad ETFs” or rail‑heavy funds will include words like Rail, Railroad, or more generally Transport/Transportation in their official name.
     • Using these keywords targets funds that are either pure‑play rail ETFs or broader transportation ETFs with significant rail exposure.

2. sector: ['Industrials']

   • Purpose: Restrict results to funds that primarily invest in industrial-sector companies.
   • Rationale:
     • Railroads are classified in the Industrials sector (specifically in Transportation/Marine/Rail sub‑industries).
     • This filter helps exclude unrelated “transport” concepts (e.g., tech or logistics platforms) and keeps the focus on industrial transportation businesses, where railroads sit.

3. themes: ['Transportation Equities']

   • Purpose: Focus on ETFs that follow a transportation‑related equity theme.
   • Rationale:
     • Many ETFs are tagged by thematic exposure (e.g., “Transportation,” “Infrastructure,” “Energy”).
     • By using the Transportation Equities theme, the screener is honing in on funds whose primary mandate is owning transportation stocks (railroads, trucking, airlines, etc.), rather than broad industrials or unrelated themes.

4. stock_position_pct: ['MoreThan50Pct']

   • Purpose: Ensure we’re looking at true rail-focused ETFs, not just broad transportation funds with only minor rail exposure.
   • Rationale:
     • “MoreThan50Pct” means over 50% of the ETF’s assets are in the specified holdings (see next filter).
     • This guarantees that railroads are not just a side allocation but the majority of the ETF’s portfolio, making it appropriate when you say “the Rail ETF.”

5. holdings: ['UNP', 'CSX', 'NSC', 'CNI', 'CP']

   • Purpose: Target ETFs heavily invested in the major North American railroad operators:
     • UNP – Union Pacific
     • CSX – CSX Corporation
     • NSC – Norfolk Southern
     • CNI – Canadian National Railway
     • CP – Canadian Pacific Kansas City
   • Rationale:
     • These are the core, large‑cap publicly traded railroads in North America; any legitimate “rail ETF” should hold several of them as top positions.
     • Requiring more than 50% weight in this group (via the previous filter) ensures the ETF is genuinely rail-centric.

Why Results Match Your Request

• The name + sector + theme filters narrow the universe to transportation-focused industrial ETFs, where a “rail ETF” would naturally be classified.
• The holdings + >50% position filters then tighten the focus to funds where the majority of assets are in major railroad stocks, matching what most investors mean by “the Rail ETF” (i.e., a railway‑dominated fund rather than a generic transportation ETF).

Together, these filters are designed to surface ETFs that are genuinely and predominantly tied to the railroad industry, suitable for analyzing “the Rail ETF.”