Van Eck Could Roll Out Wide Moat ETF

Van Eck, the fifth-largest U.S. ETF issuer, has filed plans to possibly introduce the Morningstar Wide Moat Research ETF, an ETF that would track the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index.

The index is rules-based and equal-weighted and intends to give exposure to companies with noticeable competitive advantages over their rivals. Using an estimate of the stock's fair value, the index provider selects the top 20 companies for inclusion in the index.

The index is rebalanced on a quarterly basis. As of November 30, 2011, the Index included 20 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $1.3 billion to $167.9 billion and an average market capitalization of $45.7 billion, according to ETF Daily News.

A ticker and expense ratio were not included in the filing.