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Wondering Why Your Sector ETF Might Be Underperforming The Index?

October 16, 2024

Have you noticed that your passive ETF has been underperforming its benchmark recently?  

 

The ever-increasing size of a handful of mega-cap stocks has caused these names to have a dominant influence on the U.S. stock market, especially within major indices like the S&P 500 as well as sectors including Technology and Communication Services.  

 

This dynamic has caused the U.S. stock market to become significantly concentrated.  As of 2024, the S&P 500 Index concentration has hit record levels with the top 10 stocks accounting for 35.6% of total S&P 500 market cap as of August.   

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ETFs and mutual funds are required to meet certain diversification requirements to benefit from the tax advantage of registering as a regulated investment company (RIC).  RICs are considered pass-through entities by the IRS, with taxes owed at the individual level, but not the fund level.  

 

The diversification requirements include the following:  

  • No issuer can be more than 25% of the fund’s total assets.
  • Positions exceeding 5% cannot in aggregate exceed 50% of the fund’s total assets.  

 

The overall significance of these requirements to ETF and mutual fund returns varies year-to-year depending on the index and sector.  The record levels of market concentration being witnessed in 2024 are causing this dynamic to have an outsized impact on year-to-date (YTD) returns this year.   

 

Included below are the top 10 stocks with the biggest differential in weighting between and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY).  Taking Alphabet (GOOGL) as an example, an investor purchasing shares of the passive SPDR Communication Services Select ETF (XLC) is only getting a 26.6% exposure to GOOGL relative to the S&P 500 Communication Services Index weight of 46.4%, constituting a 19.8% underweight to this single name.  Amazon (AMZN) and NVDIA (NVDA) have similar dynamics with underweights of 13.4% and 12.8%, respectively.   

 

Consider the fact that through October 15th, GOOGL has rallied 18.7% YTD, AMZN 23.5%, and NVDA a whopping 165.8%! That is a lot of returns passive investors are missing due to RIC regulations.  

 

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The table below provides a view of 2024 YTD sector ETF returns relative to S&P 500 Index sector returns.   

 

As you can see, the differential in returns for highly concentrated sectors such as Technology and Communication Services is substantial.  Looking at Technology through October 15th, the SPDR Technology Select Sector ETF (XLK) has seen 2024 YTD returns of 19.9% versus the S&P Information Technology Index YTD returns of 32.6%.  That constitutes a 12.6% discrepancy, with investors in XLK missing that 12.6% return differential.   
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While passive ETFs for sectors and styles are great tools for investors during certain times they can underperform their benchmark. Working with an investment manager like VGA can help close the gap with active risk management and strategies that manage position size strategically.

 

Vineyard Global Advisors offers 13 fee-only, actively managed, including hedged and long-only investment strategies via separately managed accounts. Contact Us to learn more.

Knowing how to evaluate potential risks and rewards carefully can be
overwhelming. Look for a manager who has the experience and ability to tailor your portfolio and who can access specialized funds, strategies, and opportunities. 

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Investment advisory services are provided through Integrated Advisors Network, LLC (“Integrated”) a registered investment advisor. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Vineyard Global Advisors, LLC is a practice group of Integrated.

The opinions expressed herein are those of Vineyard Global Advisors and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to sell any product. Forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. This document may contain certain information that constitutes “forward-looking statements” which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “expect,” “will,” “hope,” “forecast,” “intend,” “target,” “believe,” and/or comparable terminology. No assurance, representation, or warranty is made by any person that any of Vineyard’s assumptions, expectations, objectives, and/or goals will be achieved. Nothing contained in this document may be relied upon as a guarantee, promise, assurance, or representation as to the future. Vineyard Global Advisors is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Investment advisory services offered through Integrated Advisors Network, LLC (“Integrated), a registered investment advisor. Vineyard Global Advisors is a DBA of Integrated.

The S&P 500 Index is a stock market index that tracks the performance of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States. It is market-capitalization-weighted, meaning companies with a larger market value have a greater impact on the index. The S&P 500 is widely used as a benchmark for the U.S. equity market and provides a broad representation of various sectors of the economy, including technology, healthcare, financials, and consumer goods. It is often used by investors to gauge overall market performance and to compare the returns of individual investment portfolios. This document contains performance data that references the S&P 500 Index (the "Index"). The S&P 500 Index is a market capitalization-weighted index of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S., and is widely regarded as a benchmark for the U.S. equity market. Please note that the S&P 500 Index is unmanaged and does not include transaction costs, fees, or expenses associated with the purchase or sale of securities. Unlike the performance of the Fund, which may be subject to fees, the performance of the Index does not reflect the impact of these costs. Index returns are typically gross returns, unless otherwise specified. Past performance of the Fund or its manager is not indicative of future results, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will outperform or track the performance of the S&P 500 Index or any other benchmark. The S&P 500 Index is used solely for comparison purposes and does not reflect any investment strategy or portfolio. It is not possible to directly invest in the S&P 500 Index.

There is no guarantee that the investment objectives will be achieved. Moreover, past performance is not a guarantee or indicator of future results. Does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or a solicitation to deal in any security or financial product. It is provided for information purposes only and on the understanding that the recipient has sufficient knowledge and experience to be able to understand and make their own evaluation of the proposals and services described herein, any risks associated therewith and any related legal, tax, accounting or other material considerations.

Integrated is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Registration of an investment adviser does not imply any specific level of skill or training and does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the Commission. Business is only transacted in states in which it is property registered or is excluded or exempted from registration. A copy of Integrated's and VGA's current written disclosure brochure filed with the SEC which discusses among other things, business practices, services and fees, is available through the SEC's website at: www.adviserinfo.sec.gov

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