When I began writing for Luxist back in 2004 one of the first things I did was pick up a copy of the Robb Report, the magazine for the ultra-rich is one of the standard sources for information on the luxury market. Now the magazine has its own stock index, the Claymore /Robb Report Global Luxury Index ROB. CNN Money reports that Claymore Securities launched an exchange-traded fund on Monday based on an index created by CurtCo Robb Media, publisher of the Robb Report.

The financial reasoning behind this is that companies catering to the luxury market may be a safer bet because spending by the rich is less affected by gas prices or mortgage rates, things that may throw off other consumers. And with luxury spending on the rise in countries like Russia, China and India many of these companies are looking at continue growth. The 42-stock portfolio includes many brands you might expect such as Porsche, BMW, and LVMH.

This follows the news that came out last month that Dominion Group had launched the Chic investment fund which cover 61 designer names and 2,300 brands such as Stella McCartney and Ralph Lauren. After all, if you are going to buy the luxury brands, why not also invest in the companies that make them?