Tag Archives: S&P 500 Low Volatility Index
The Market Measure: June 2025
Review a resurgent S&P 500, check in on the performance of trend-following equities, dig into two factor indices—the S&P 500 High Beta Index and S&P 500 Low Volatility Index—that took a very different route to the same destination, make a detour for a look at the performance of select international equities and find out what…
The Market Measure: April 2025
How did S&P DJI’s indices perform in Q1? Why is Low Volatility attracting interest, and what else is navigating the trade trends successfully? Explore the highlights.
Expectations and Anomalies
At one point deep into the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, I remember a clever colleague declaring “less down is the new up.” He wasn’t alone in this point of view, since in a world with so many markets and indices falling in unison, those that performed relatively better justifiably gained attention. One of those…
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Resilience amid Rising Volatility: The S&P 500 Low Volatility Index
Until recently, the continuous rise of the S&P 500® seemed unstoppable. However, with the return of market volatility and macroeconomic uncertainty, there has been a growing appetite for defensive strategies and risk mitigation. The S&P 500 Low Volatility Index has emerged as a standout performer, further solidifying its reputation for stability in uncertain times. This…
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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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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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The November 2023 Rebalance of the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index
The S&P 500® continued its strong performance this year after posting a 9.8% gain in a span of less than three weeks from Oct. 30 to Nov. 17, 2023. During this period, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield dropped approximately 45 bps1 and October’s year-over-year headline CPI inflation cooled to 3.2%.2 As Exhibit 1 shows, since…
S&P 500 Low Volatility Index August 2023 Rebalance
The S&P 500® performed well from the last rebalance for the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index on May 19, 2023, through the most recent rebalance on Aug. 18, 2023. As Exhibit 1 shows, the S&P 500 was up 4.7% during this period versus a decline of 1.5% for the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index. This…
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Comparing Defensive Factors in the Recent Market Environment
On Sept. 17, 2020, S&P DJI’s Indexology blog shared a post I wrote titled “Comparing Defensive Factors During the Last 3 Bear Markets.” This blog is a continuation of that study, examining the results of the same factors during the 18-month period around the 2022 market correction that led the S&P 500® officially into bear…
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S&P 500 Low Volatility Index May 2023 Rebalance
Since the last rebalance for the S&P 500® Low Volatility Index on Feb. 17, 2023, the S&P 500 finished up 3.2% despite briefly dropping in mid-March during the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Exhibit 1 shows that during this period, the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index underperformed the S&P 500 by 4.3%. This divergence is…
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