Get Indexology® Blog updates via email.


Tag Archives: S&P 500 Momentum

Apr 18, 2023

The Same, Only Different

In the first quarter of 2023, the best performing of the 17 factor indices featured in our monthly factor dashboard was S&P 500® High Beta (up 12.5%), while the worst performer was S&P 500 Momentum (-3.2%). This may seem odd at first blush, since both indices are, in some sense, performance chasers—Momentum in absolute and…

READ

Feb 24, 2023

Momentum’s Mystique

I confess some superhero powers underwhelm me (really, Hawkeye, arrows?) or stretch credulity further than Hulk’s hyper-elastic jeans. However, one I can appreciate is Mystique, the shape-shifting mutant who constantly alters her appearance to stay one step ahead. If factors were superheroes, I’d argue the S&P 500® Momentum Index (“Momentum”) and Mystique share commonalities, both…

READ

Nov 10, 2021

An Efficient, Rules-Based Approach to Factor Rotation

Explore how the design of the S&P 500 Factor Rotator Daily RC2 7% Index is helping democratize access to factor investing, providing a simple, rules-based blueprint for building dynamic factor strategies.

READ

Mar 8, 2021

A Change in Fortune

Three months ago, we observed that times of severe underperformance for Equal Weight can bode well for future performance. This reflection had become reality by the end of February. After almost four years of underperformance, the S&P 500® Equal Weight Index outperformed the S&P 500 by 1.6% over the past 12 months, as we see…

READ

Jan 26, 2021

A Different Kind of Bubble

Information Technology was the top-performing sector in 2020, up 44%, while Momentum (up 28%) was the second best-performing factor. These two results are reminiscent of the bubble we experienced two decades ago. But the Tech sector of today is not your father’s Tech sector. Similarly, we can analyze the market from a factor perspective and…

READ

Dec 8, 2020

Reversal or Recovery?

When we think about reversals in the market, we likely think of brief turnarounds in performance.  But what if it’s more? What makes a reversal turn into a recovery is a full-fledged long-term improvement in performance. We can apply this logic to Equal Weight’s recent experience.  After consistent underperformance since April 2017, the S&P 500®…

READ

Jul 15, 2019

Understanding the ESG Consequences of Factor-Based Investing: Part 2

    In our previous blog, we looked at the S&P Factor Indices’ ESG exposures, showing that factor exposures can have an influence on ESG scores. In this blog, we’ll discuss these scores at the sector level and see how implementing an ESG or carbon reduction strategy on poorer ESG-performing factor indices can help investors…

READ

Jun 11, 2018

Momentum’s Minsky Moment?

U.S. equity funds following momentum (or relative strength) strategies have generally performed well recently, and their performance has been rewarded with inflows.  This is important because momentum, uniquely among investment styles, is self-reinforcing – until it isn’t. Typically, as factors become more popular, their excess returns are likely to diminish.  For example: the more value…

READ

Jan 18, 2018

Explaining Equal-Weight Indices

Our recent paper explores the characteristics and applications of equal-weight indices from various standpoints. Since a number of equal-weight indices have outperformed their corresponding cap-weighted parents over the past 15 years, one of the most interesting perspectives asks if factors can help to explain the excess returns of equal weight.  Which factors are most relevant?…

READ


Get Indexology® Blog updates via email.

Indexology® Blog
Contributors

SEE ALL