News & Research

The new futures track 12 STOXX® Industry Neutral Ax Factor Indices covering the European and US markets, which employ an optimized methodology to control factor exposures, diversification and tradability. Zubin Ramdarshan from Eurex and Qontigo’s Hamish Seegopaul explain why the futures offer a unique vehicle for market participants seeking factor-based strategies.

Much has been written about the spectacular comeback of Value stocks. But has this also been reflected in the credit market? The steep rise of the Value factor from the Axioma Factor-based Fixed Income Risk Model over the past 14 months seems to suggest that the answer is yes.

After experiencing a period of steadily rising returns from 1982 through 2006, investing in “cheap” stocks has been out of favor since 2007. Granted, a few good quarters for the Value factor have popped up every now and again, but so have strings of poor performance, yielding a return of roughly 0% over the 13-year period ended September 2020.

The STOXX Industry Neutral Ax Factor Indices were introduced in February and leverage Axioma’s advanced portfolio-construction tools and risk models. They provide a robust choice for investors looking to reduce unintended exposures and access the return of factors.

The recent release of the Axioma Macroeconomic Projection Equity Factor Risk Model highlights the risk and return impact of economic variables on equity strategies. Quantitatively driven portfolios are usually constructed (and invested in) without considering the potential impact of big moves in economic variables.

By selecting high-dividend stocks within universes screened for responsible-investing principles, the new suite broadens the possibilities for investors and showcases the versatility of index-based strategies.

The surge in oil prices since November 2020 has highlighted the challenges—and even opportunities—of measuring and managing the impact of swings in oil prices on portfolios.

A new variation of the STOXX Factor Indices, which leverage Axioma’s proven factor models, further restricts sector diversions from the benchmark.

The impact of Robinhood at al did not escape the attention of our risk models. The roles of Liquidity and Leverage as risk factors in the Axioma fundamental models has been in full display on the heels of the recent trading frenzy which sent previously unpopular stocks soaring in January, only to tumble in early February. Other typically “compensated” style factors, such as Volatility and Size, also had a significant reaction, resulting in an overall increase in style factor risk.

In capital markets investing, the greater fool theory1 states that an investor buying a risk asset, no matter its current valuation, can always find a “greater fool” to buy it later at a higher price. The theory rests on the subjectivity of valuations and the fact that beauty (the attractiveness of the investment) is always […]

The US market soared in November, producing one of the highest monthly returns since at least 1982. With regard to factor returns, the month started out fairly slowly. But things changed on November 9, when it started to look like the pandemic could end someday.  We wrote about the impact the news from Pfizer on […]

Returns since Nov. 9 show investors’ ideas about the economy have flipped, favoring Value stocks against the Momentum factor.