U.S. Global Investors Announces Merger of Europe-Domiciled Airlines ETF into the Travel UCITS ETF (TRIP), Expanding and Diversifying Investment Opportunities in Global Travel Industry

San Antonio, TX, April 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U.S. Global Investors, Inc. (NASDAQ: GROW) (the “Company”), a registered investment advisory firm with longstanding experience in global markets and specialized sectors, today is excited to announce that its Europe-domiciled airlines ETF, the U.S. Global Jets UCITS ETF, has merged into the Travel UCITS ETF (TRIP), effective April 19, 2024.

The Company acquired TRIP—which is also listed as TRYP in certain European markets—from HANetf, Europe’s first and only independent, full-service provider of UCITS ETFs. TRIP is not to be confused with U.S. online booking company TripAdvisor, which also trades under the ticker TRIP on the Nasdaq.

“We are very excited about this merger, and we believe TRIP will complement our suite of dynamic, smart beta 2.0 ETFs,” says Frank Holmes, the Company’s CEO and Chief Investment Officer.

The Company manages the U.S. Global Jets ETF (NYSE: JETS), a U.S.-based ETF that invests in commercial airlines, airport services companies, aircraft manufacturers and online booking companies. In 2021, in partnership with HANetf, the Company launched the U.S. Global Jets UCITS ETF as Europe’s first and only global airlines industry ETF. The JETS portfolio utilizes smart beta 2.0 fundamentals, meaning it combines passive investing and a more factor-based, quantamental approach.

TRIP, by comparison, seeks to track the Solactive Travel Index, which tracks publicly-listed companies involved in the travel business, including airlines, hotels, travel agencies and cruise lines.

Mr. Holmes believes cruise lines are an interesting addition to the global travel investment theme, which is why he championed the merger of the two UCITS products:

“Like commercial aviation, the cruise industry was one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, but in the months since, it’s seen a strong resurgence in demand,” Mr. Holmes says. “Cruise passenger volumes increased nearly 7% globally from 2019 to 2023, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), with North America delivering the strongest growth at 17.5%.”

Greater demand for leisure travel has resulted in higher revenues for cruise lines. In 2023, the “Big Three” names—Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian—posted combined trailing 12-month net sales of around $44 billion, up from $38.2 billion in pre-pandemic 2019.

About U.S. Global Investors, Inc.

The story of U.S. Global Investors goes back more than 50 years when it began as an investment club. Today, U.S. Global Investors, Inc. (www.usfunds.com) is a registered investment adviser that focuses on niche markets around the world. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, the Company provides investment advisory services to U.S. Global Investors Funds and U.S. Global ETFs.