Skip to content

Equity Strategies Group-Level Analysis Of The Equity Markets

Jan 08 2021

Industry “Dreams” And “Nightmares”

  • Jan 8, 2021

We take a look at our historical analysis of industry-group portfolios to see how the “Dreams” and “Nightmares” from 2019 fared in 2020. The industry-group composition of the 2020 Dream and Nightmare portfolios is also presented.

Jan 08 2021

Sector Rankings

  • Jan 8, 2021

Information Technology (1st) and Health Care (3rd) continued their long-time status among the top-three-rated sectors (out of eleven broad sectors). Communication Services bumped up to 2nd from 4th; it has not been among the top three since September. Consumer Discretionary moved down one spot to 4th. That sector has been rotating in-and-out of the top-three zone on a regular basis. This is the eighth consecutive month with Real Estate, Energy, and Utilities sharing the bottom-three sector ranks.

Dec 05 2020

Revisiting The “Reopening Economy” Theme

  • Dec 5, 2020

We review relative price-action patterns among industry groups belonging to the “reopening economy” theme. These are areas that have been hit hard by the pandemic and should benefit the most from a return to economic normalcy. Conversely, a variety of industries profit on days when it appears that the economic shutdown may be prolonged. Recent performance is incorporated to re-examine the trends.

Dec 05 2020

Sector Rankings

  • Dec 5, 2020

We saw only slight movement among the sector rankings. Health Care, Information Technology, and Consumer Discretionary remained the top-three rated sectors (out of eleven total). The biggest movers this month were (1) Financials moving from the 8th spot to 6th, and (2) Industrials swapping from 6th to 8th. The bottom-three rated sectors, Real Estate, Energy, and Utilities are the same as last month, with Energy returning to the bottom.

Nov 06 2020

The Stock Market & U.S. Presidential Election Cycle Revisited

  • Nov 6, 2020

We crunch some numbers to see how 2020’s stock market trends have fared compared to the typical election year, and we slice and dice past post-election year trends at the sector and industry group levels to look at potential opportunities in the coming year.

Nov 06 2020

Sector Rankings

  • Nov 6, 2020

There continues to be little movement among the sector rankings. While Health Care, Information Technology, and Consumer Discretionary remained the top-three rated sectors (out of eleven total), Consumer Staples and Communication Services swapped spots this month and moved into 4th and 5th, respectively. The bottom-three rated sectors, Real Estate, Energy, and Utilities are the same as last month, with Energy returning to the bottom.

Oct 07 2020

Examining The “Reopening Economy” Theme At The Group Level

  • Oct 7, 2020

We examine a variety of industry groups with noteworthy relative price action on both “reopening” and “closed economy” days. Our objective is to shed more light on the industry groups that are consistently moving together on these days.

Oct 07 2020

Sector Rankings

  • Oct 7, 2020

There was little movement among the sector rankings. While Health Care and Information Technology remained the top-two rated sectors (out of eleven total), Consumer Discretionary jumped to the 3rd spot from 5th. Communication Services and Consumer Staples each dropped one position to move into 4th and 5th place, respectively. The bottom-three rated sectors, Real Estate, Energy, and Utilities are unchanged.

Sep 05 2020

“Reliable” Health Care And The Presidential Election

  • Sep 5, 2020

Health Care has been resilient this year, but will that continue in the run-up to the presidential election?  We look at the performance of the Attractively-ranked industry groups and how they have historically performed leading up to an election and post-election. 

Sep 05 2020

Sector Rankings

  • Sep 5, 2020

There was some movement among the sector rankings. While Health Care, Information Technology, and Communication Services remained the top-three rated sectors (out of eleven total), Consumer Staples advanced to the 4th spot from 6th and Financials dropped to the 8th position from 5th. The bottom-three rated sectors, Real Estate, Energy, and Utilities are the same as last month.

Aug 06 2020

Housing Groups Heat Up

  • Aug 6, 2020

A major driver of the division in recent performance among retail groups has been the burgeoning “nesting” theme. Stuck at home, consumers are directing their dollars toward indoor and outdoor home upgrades. A related theme has now established itself in the upper rankings of our group work—Housing.

Aug 06 2020

Sector Rankings With Attractive/High Neutral And Unattractive Industry Groups

  • Aug 6, 2020

There was no movement among the sector rankings. Health Care, Communication Services, and Information Technology are the top-three rated sectors (out of eleven total). The bottom-three rated sectors are Real Estate, Energy, and Utilities.

Jul 08 2020

Retail’s Winners And Losers Of The Pandemic

  • Jul 8, 2020

Following the market bottom, the rebound across retail industries has been robust, but a divide has emerged. Consumers’ needs and behaviors have dramatically shifted as former lifestyles were uprooted. This swift change in economics has resulted in clearly-defined sets of winners and losers among retail industries.

Jul 08 2020

Sector Rankings With Attractive/High Neutral And Unattractive Industry Groups

  • Jul 8, 2020

There was minimal movement among the sector rankings. The only two to shift positions were Industrials and Materials, with the former dropping to 8th from 7th place and the latter rising to 7th place from 8th. Health Care, Communication Services, and Information Technology are the top-three rated sectors (out of eleven total). The bottom-three rated sectors are Real Estate, Energy, and Utilities.

Jun 05 2020

S&P 500 Sector Leaders Since Market Top

  • Jun 5, 2020

Since the market peak on February 19th the S&P 500 Health Care sector is down only 1.1%. Among the S&P 500 sector indexes, Health Care and Consumer Discretionary are the performance leaders.

Jun 05 2020

Pockets Of Strength Among Discretionary Industries

  • Jun 5, 2020

A brief overview of two (very different) Attractively-rated Discretionary groups that are longstanding SI portfolio holdings that have managed to maintain their “Attractiveness” throughout the tumult.

Jun 05 2020

Sector Rankings

  • Jun 5, 2020

For the third consecutive month, Health Care, Communication Services, and Information Technology remain the top-three rated sectors (out of eleven total). Materials moved up to 7th place from 9th, while Utilities declined from 8th place to last, with Real Estate and Energy the next lowest rated.

May 07 2020

Robust Health Care Leads Since Market Peak

  • May 7, 2020

Health Care has been the best performing sector following mid-February’s market peak. Its robust relative performance during this bear market isn’t terribly surprising given the sector’s defensive qualities, but it has impressively outpaced other safe haven areas.

May 07 2020

Sector Rankings

  • May 7, 2020

For the second consecutive month, Health Care, Communication Services, and Information Technology remain the top-three rated sectors. Consumer Discretionary and Financials swapped spots and are ranked 4th and 5th, respectively. Real Estate joined Materials and Energy to rank at the bottom.

Apr 07 2020

Popular Low/Minimum Volatility Strategies Disappoint

  • Apr 7, 2020

During the peak-to-trough market drawdown through mid-March, some of the most popular Low/Min Vol ETFs did not perform as anticipated. Stable and boring businesses, that weather downturns relatively well, are facing atypical vulnerabilities.