Tag Archives: 2024
New Bitcoin Indices Doing “Yard Work” in the Spring
In Wall Street parlance, a yard refers to a billion and a buck is a million. You can overhear traders asking questions like, “how many bucks did that trade?” or, “did that company raise a yard?” The crypto space is gathering assets by the yard these days with new product launches by ETF issuers. For…
- Categories Multi-Asset, Thematics
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Current Discounted Valuations & Historical Downside Protection: The S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index
In our last blog, we highlighted the superior long-term performance of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats® versus the S&P Composite 1500®, as well as compared to long-term Treasury bonds and the CPI. In this blog, we will shift our focus to examine the current discounted valuations and enhanced dividend yields of the S&P High…
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How Are Some Dividend Growers Outpacing Inflation and the Benchmark?
With the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hovering around 4.5%, investors may be able to find attractive yields without taking on too much risk. The challenge, however, is maintaining purchasing power relative to inflation (USD 1,000 in December 1999 was only worth USD 538 as of March 2024). For those seeking income and total returns that…
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Commodities Deliver Double-Digit Returns in the Face of Stubborn Inflation
Commodity markets remain on top of the asset class leader board with inflation drawing the ire of the Fed and other asset classes. The upside surprise in U.S. inflation spotlights the potential benefits of commodities as a diversification tool. The S&P GSCI, the leading indicator of broad commodity performance, has produced double-digit returns in 2024,…
- Categories Commodities
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- Commodities
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Turtle Returns: The Hare and the Tortoise
The tale of a footrace between a determined tortoise and a swift but ultimately complacent hare has been with us for a long time. The earliest known version is two and a half thousand years old; it begins with the hare mocking the tortoise’s slow feet, which leads to a challenge and a contest, and…
- Categories Fixed Income
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Energy Pumps up the S&P GSCI and Markets Go Cuckoo for Cocoa
“I think it’s from all those dog-gone cocoa beans. Hey, by the way, did you guys know that chocolate contains a property that triggers the release of endorphins? Gives one the feeling of being in love.” -Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) Inflation presented a direct hit to consumers at the pump, with…
- Categories Commodities
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The S&P 500 Low Volatility Index: Currently Valued at the 99th Percentile of Cheapness Relative to the S&P 500
Investor enthusiasm for AI and mega-cap technology stocks has propelled the S&P 500® to a gain of more than 30% over the past 12 months. As the S&P 500 has been reaching new highs on a regular basis, it is understandable if low volatility stocks have not been at the top of investors’ minds. This…
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Diversification, Equity & Indices
The results of S&P DJI’s latest SPIVA U.S. Scorecard are in: Most large-cap active managers underperformed the S&P 500® for the 14th consecutive year in a row. 60% of active large-cap funds underperformed the S&P 500 in 2023, slightly better than the long-term average of 64%, and a relatively benign result considering the dominance of…
Australian Mid Caps: A Sweet Spot for Diversification and Historical Outperformance
The S&P/ASX MidCap 50 was up 5.35% in February, outperforming the S&P/ASX 50—which posted 0.25%—by more than 5%. This was the largest relative outperformance of the mid-cap segment compared to large caps in a single month since October 2008. A closer look at Australian mid caps, as measured by the S&P/ASX MidCap 50, shows the…
- Categories Equities
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- Equities
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The February 2024 Rebalance of the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index
Since the previous rebalance for the S&P 500® Low Volatility Index on Nov. 17, 2023, and its most recent on Feb. 16, 2024, the S&P 500 delivered a stunning 11.3% return. During this period, the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index was up 5.3%, strong by historical standards, albeit underperforming the S&P 500. As has been the…
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