News & Research

After two years of virtual gatherings, I’m thrilled to announce that the flagship Qontigo Investment Intelligence Summit will return in person this May. This year’s Summit, which we have called ‘Together in ’22,’ will take place in London on May 5 and in New York on May 19. The two events will offer insights on some of the most important […]

For years, factor investing has demonstrated its potential to outperform the general market.

For the past 20 years, a multi-factor strategy as targeted by the STOXX Europe 600 Industry Neutral Ax Multi-Factor Index has fared extremely well, and much of that consistent performance can be traced to the benefit of diversifying across different sources of return premia.

Investor sentiment in 2021 can be summed-up in one word: “concerned”. Generally speaking, investors know there are only a handful of events that can spark a turning point in a market cycle — and in 2021 most expected tapering to be one of them.

In this article we examine stress-test results to determine the ex-ante performance impact of the variables in the Axioma Worldwide Macroeconomic Projection Equity Factor Risk Model (Macro Model).

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.