Defensive equity is stealing the spotlight now that volatility is on the rise. And while ESG is still on many investors’ radar, focus has shifted to preservation, with the markets now dipping into bear territory. In an about-face from 2021, the first half of 2022 has seen losses that haven’t been felt in over 50 years. Check out our most popular blogs in 2022 so far:
Top 5 Blog Posts
A Brief History Lesson in Defensive Equities
While equity investors have been fortunate to sustain only brief drawdowns since the Global Financial Crisis and persistently accommodating economic, fiscal, and monetary conditions have smoothed over headwinds, history shows that a general risk-on environment cannot last forever. That same context tells us that when the next black swan arrives, defensive equity can make a substantial impact in preserving your capital and stabilizing your equity outcomes. Read here to see how defensive equities can help you sustain your portfolios.
The Value of Diversifying With Defensive Equities
While it’s not reasonable to expect defensive equities to outperform in every down month, quarter, and year, they could possibly provide immediate downside protection in shorter periods. What they have reliably delivered is measurable outperformance in the longer, more significant down-market events. See how defensive equity can offer a diversifying presence and considerable improvement to risk-return outcomes when used alongside a core equity allocation.
How Low Vol and Low Carbon Can Coexist
For those investors attempting to do their part in combatting the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change, we explain two parallel paths for simultaneously targeting carbon and volatility reduction relative to cap-weighted benchmarks. Both require a portfolio-driven approach. See how focusing on the portfolio as a whole opens up investment opportunities.
How This Market Has Skewed Cap-Weighted Indexes
The current top-heavy nature of the U.S. large-cap market should give investors pause. Most capitalization-weighted U.S. large-cap indices now appear highly concentrated at both stock and sector levels, which has meaningfully diminished the diversification characteristics of these benchmarks and the passive strategies that seek to mirror them. Find out how this trend has pushed a key economic indicator to concerning levels.
How Can These Two Simple Tactics Help Bypass ESG Data Pitfalls?
Investors should seek a variety of complementary approaches among their managers. There are two key practices that work well on their own, and even better in combination: using stable ESG characteristics and optimizing ESG outcomes at the portfolio level. Click here for more information on how two simple tactics can help bypass ESG data pitfalls.
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