What’s in a U.S. Equity Index?
2022 was the worst year for U.S. equity indices since 2008’s Global Financial Crisis, with the S&P 500® entering a bear market and declining 18% in 2022. Despite the market blues, there were some relative winners: the S&P DJI U.S. Core Indices beat their MSCI counterparts last year, driven by differences in their methodologies. Below…
2023 Has Already Been Trepidatious
A sizzling start for Canadian equities in 2023 found itself fizzling as March began. Despite having a return of as much as 7% in late January/early February, through March 17, 2023, the S&P/TSX Composite Index was up 0.7% YTD. In line with historical trends, the S&P/TSX Composite Low Volatility Index underperformed, declining 0.1%. Volatility rose…
SPIVA Canada Scorecard 2022: Country, Currency and Concentration Contexts
Since 2004, our SPIVA® Canada Scorecards have shown that a majority of actively managed Canadian equity funds typically underperform the S&P/TSX Composite Index. However, according to the recently published SPIVA Canada Year-End 2022 Scorecard, the annual underperformance rate dropped to the best result we have seen since 2015: just 52% of Canadian Equity managers lagged…
2023 GICS Changes: S&P Global 1200 Impact Analysis
Revisions to the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®) structure are primed to go into effect after the close of business on Friday, March 17, 2023. While the changes are not as extensive as in previous iterations, they affect the GICS structure at all levels and this article examines the impact of the changes on the…
GICS Changes Are upon Us
As time passes, we draw ever closer to the date of the GICS® changes scheduled to take effect after the market close on March 17, 2023. There are five changes being implemented, some of which will move companies among sectors and others that will move companies within sectors. Recent blogs have announced these changes: GICS…
S&P U.S. Indices Year-End 2022: Analyzing Relative Returns to CRSP
The S&P U.S. Equity Indices aim to represent and measure the performance of distinct market cap segments of the investable U.S. equity market. The S&P Composite 1500®, which consists of the S&P 500®, S&P MidCap 400® and S&P SmallCap 600®, is constructed differently compared to other indices with similar objectives. These nuances can impact index…
First Islamic Indices Based on S&P/ASX Series Launched
S&P DJI is launching its first S&P/ASX Shariah Indices, which aim to track the performance of Shariah-compliant stocks in the S&P/ASX 200 and the S&P/ASX 300. This launch comes in the context of increased interest in the Muslim community for Shariah investing in Australia. The Muslim community in Australia accounts for 3.2% of the population,…
SPIVA U.S. Scorecard 2022: Fewer Excuses
For over a decade, our SPIVA® Scorecards have shown a majority of actively managed U.S. large-cap equity funds underperforming the S&P 500®. According to the freshly published SPIVA U.S. Year-End 2022 Scorecard, the annual underperformance rate dropped to the slimmest of margins last year: just 51% of large-cap U.S. managers lagged the S&P 500 in…
S&P U.S. Indices Year-End 2022: Analyzing Relative Returns to Russell
2022 was a challenging year across asset classes, including equities. Exhibit 1 shows that there were declines across the U.S. equities market cap spectrum. For example, the S&P 500® fell 18% for the whole year; the gains in the fourth quarter were not sufficient to overcome the declines during the first three quarters. Amid the…
China Equities Diverge from Developed and Emerging Markets
China, the world’s second-largest market by both GDP and stock market capitalization, is showing itself to be a worthy diversifier, with low correlations to other equity markets. While many developed and emerging stock market indices have traded more in sync since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has performed differently, with both domestic China…