GET DAILY SIGNALSFSTA vs RSPS: Comparing Two Consumer Staples ETFs for Defensive Exposure
Key Takeaways
- FSTA tracks a broad, market-cap-weighted consumer staples index with roughly 96–104 holdings, while RSPS equal-weights about 37–39 large-cap staples names from the S&P 500.
- Cost is a decisive gap: FSTA charges a 0.08% expense ratio versus 0.40% for RSPS, giving FSTA a meaningful long-term structural cost advantage.
- Concentration risk differs sharply — FSTA's top three holdings (Walmart, Costco, and Procter & Gamble) account for roughly a third of assets, whereas RSPS caps each position near 3%.
- RSPS rebalances quarterly to maintain equal weights and tilts toward mid-sized staples, food producers, and retailers, reducing mega-cap dominance but increasing single-name sensitivity.
- RSPS has historically offered a slightly higher dividend yield, though its elevated expense ratio partially offsets that income edge.
- Tickeron AI Verdict: FSTA is the favored ticker, reflecting lower cost, broader diversification, and more consistent relative positioning.
Why These Two ETFs Are Worth Comparing
Consumer staples ETFs are often treated as interchangeable defensive holdings, yet FSTA and RSPS show how two funds can target the same sector with noticeably different results. Both focus on U.S. companies in food, beverages, household goods, and everyday essentials. Their weighting approaches, fees, and concentration levels create distinct profiles that matter when investors balance defensive positioning against valuations and consumer spending trends. From what I see, understanding whether a portfolio leans mega-cap heavy or spreads exposure more evenly helps clarify the kind of sector bet being made.
Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF (FSTA) Overview
FSTA follows the MSCI USA IMI Consumer Staples 25/50 Index on a market-cap-weighted basis. It holds roughly 96–104 securities across large-, mid-, and small-cap names, with consumer defensive stocks making up about 98% of the portfolio. The top holdings—WMT, COST, and PG—together represent more than a third of assets, followed by names such as KO, PEP, and PM. Its 0.08% expense ratio stands out as one of the lowest in the category, and the fund’s larger asset base supports solid liquidity. I also checked this using Tickeron’s AI Screener to see how the fund compares to other staples vehicles on cost and breadth metrics.
Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Staples ETF (RSPS) Overview
RSPS tracks the S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Staples Index, giving each of its roughly 37–39 holdings an approximately equal weight. It rebalances quarterly, which trims stronger performers and adds to weaker ones. No single name exceeds about 3% of the fund. Holdings include KR, COST, PM, PG, MO, WMT, CHD, CASY, and MNST. Consumer defensive names account for 94–97% of assets. The 0.40% expense ratio is higher than FSTA’s, but the equal-weight approach provides a different tilt toward mid-sized staples and retailers, along with a modestly higher historical yield.
Current Industry Context
The staples sector continues to navigate cost pressures and cautious consumer spending, which keeps attention on pricing power and volume trends. Interest-rate expectations also play a role, as these stocks often behave like defensive, bond-like equities when volatility rises. Retailers with scale, such as Costco and Walmart, have shown more resilience, while packaged-food and tobacco names face ongoing questions about volumes. These factors affect both ETFs differently: FSTA amplifies the largest franchises, while RSPS spreads exposure more evenly across a broader set of names.
Performance and Positioning Insights
Over recent periods and longer cycles, FSTA has shown more consistent relative strength, aided by its concentration in large retailers and its lower expense ratio. RSPS has provided a modestly higher income stream but has lagged on total return over extended stretches, reflecting its tilt toward names that have not kept pace with the sector leaders. Risk profiles also differ: RSPS has recorded slightly deeper maximum drawdowns and greater sensitivity to individual mid-cap holdings, whereas FSTA’s broader diversification has helped moderate single-name risk. Both funds maintain low betas relative to the broader market. In my view, FSTA’s combination of cost efficiency and trend consistency has been more favorable for many investors.
Using Tickeron’s AI Screener in My Research
I often turn to Tickeron’s AI Screener when comparing ETFs like these. The tool lets me filter on technical patterns, fundamentals, volatility, and performance metrics to quickly surface how different staples funds stack up. It has helped me confirm relative positioning and cost advantages without manual screening, sharpening decisions on sector exposure.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on structural factors, Tickeron’s AI would likely favor FSTA over RSPS at this time. FSTA offers a materially lower 0.08% expense ratio, broader diversification, stronger liquidity, and more consistent multi-year relative performance. While RSPS reduces mega-cap concentration and carries a modestly higher yield, those benefits are offset by the higher 0.40% cost, deeper historical drawdowns, and weaker long-run total returns. Overall, FSTA’s blend of cost efficiency, diversification, and trend consistency presents the more compelling risk-adjusted profile for staples exposure.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
Contributor
Sergey Savastiouk, Ph.D. has a degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow University and has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, investor, manager, and mathematician. His professional expertise is in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, system and pattern analysis, and software and hardware system integration. He has served as the CEO of several hi-tech start-up companies and nonprofit organizations, which has given him proven capabilities in business strategy for high-tech start-up companies, market assessment, company formation, team building, product development, marketing, and sales. He has published numerous articles in journals and magazines on related fields. As a retail investor, he spent 15 years developing his proprietary trading and quantitative algorithms (now Tickeron’s A.I.), which brought him significant returns in trading the stock market. His current work and goal in founding Tickeron is to bring professional, sophisticated stock market analysis capabilities to retail investors via an easy-to-use interface.
FSTA's MACD Histogram just turned positive
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for FSTA turned positive on October 07, 2026. Looking at past instances where FSTA's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 42 of 46 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 90%.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on October 08, 2026. You may want to consider a long position or call options on FSTA as a result. In 88 of 98 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are 90%.
FSTA moved above its 50-day moving average on October 12, 2026 date and that indicates a change from a downward trend to an upward trend.
The 10-day moving average for FSTA crossed bullishly above the 50-day moving average on October 16, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted higher and could be considered a buy signal. In 16 of 19 past instances when the 10-day crossed above the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 84%.
Following a +1.78% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where FSTA advanced for three days, in 253 of 323 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 78%.
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In 234 of 316 cases where FSTA Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are 74%.
Bearish Trend Analysis
The 10-day RSI Indicator for FSTA moved out of overbought territory on October 23, 2026. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 38 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In 31 of the 38 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at 82%.
The Stochastic Oscillator may be shifting from an upward trend to a downward trend. In 48 of 69 cases where FSTA's Stochastic Oscillator exited the overbought zone, the price fell further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 70%.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where FSTA declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 76%.
FSTA broke above its upper Bollinger Band on October 14, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
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