Head of EMEA, Global Research & Design, S&P Dow Jones Indices
In our past blog, Introducing the S&P Dividend Growers Indices, we highlighted the key objectives and investment rationale behind the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index and S&P Global Ex-U.S. Dividend Growers Index. We showed that companies that have consistently increased dividends over consecutive years displayed greater financial strength through being generally more profitable with less…
The equity risk premia from factors (such as quality, momentum, and low volatility) have been widely accepted and adopted by investment practitioners across the globe and South Africa alike. The belief by many is that exposure to these risk factors, in addition to the market, could reward investors over the long term. While the long-term…
The market highs of February 2020 already seem like a strange, distant past, in which people socialized, worked in offices, and were blissfully unappreciative of their abundant supply of toilet paper. Life has changed. With that change, the S&P Europe 350® lost a third of its market capitalization in just a month. The market may…
The S&P Indices Versus Active (SPIVA) Europe Mid-Year 2018 Scorecard is often cited for its latest headlines surrounding the active vs. passive debate. But beyond the SPIVA headlines, there is an extensive offering of insightful data that has been carefully measured and presented to help readers dig deeper. Let’s look at just one example from…
The S&P Indices Versus Active (SPIVA) Europe Year-End 2017 Scorecard is composed of a rich dataset of active fund performance figures and insights for those wishing to participate in the active versus passive debate. The coverage and detail in the report may be extensive, but the conclusions needn’t be complex. By visualizing the data as…
It’s that time of the year and the highly anticipated SPIVA Europe Mid-Year 2017 Scorecard is out. European active fund managers are no doubt apprehensively looking to see how their industry is competing with the performance of their respective S&P DJI benchmark indices. At first glance, active proponents may breathe a sigh of relief for…
In our previous blog on multi-factor merits, we discussed the diversification benefits of combining equity factors. We highlighted how multi-factor indices may generate more stable excess returns, while avoiding the risks inherent in timing factors. But to achieve this, can market participants just throw lots of factors into a pot and hope for the best?…
It is undeniable that an individual investor would need considerable skill (or luck) to navigate optimally between the various single-factor equity strategies. If the goal is to outperform the benchmark, then simply choosing between a quality, value, momentum, or low volatility strategy may present the biggest risk. While they all have been shown to hold…