It has been a brutal year for construction stocks, but hedge funds and exchange-traded funds tracking the construction sector have provided modest appreciation.
The popularity of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has exploded in recent years, bringing increasing play to construction and infrastructure stocks. Miami's Mastec Inc. (NYSE:MTZ) is included in at least 26 ETFs—such as First Trust's Clean Edge Smart Grid (NASDAQ:GRID)—and that exposure is good for the firm, says J. Marc Lewis, Mastec investor-relations coordinator.