Moat Index Holds Contrarian Edge in Today’s Market
06 August 2024
Read Time 2 MIN
- The Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index’s contrarian positioning (slight value bias and smaller large caps) may set it up well, considering market dynamics.
- Growth stocks relative to value stocks are at levels not seen since March of 2000 and the internet bubble.
- Market breadth in 2024 has been lower than we have seen since the late 1990s.
VanEck Morningstar US Sustainable Wide Moat UCITS ETF (MOAT) and its underlying index, the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index, have established a contrarian US equity posture, thanks to Morningstar’s equity research methodology. The Index’s focus on attractive valuations has guided it toward a slight value bias and its equal-weight methodology has pushed it away from mega cap companies. This has been a headwind due to the narrow mega cap growth leadership in 2024, but may prove beneficial considering current market dynamics.
Shift Away from Mega Cap Growth as S&P 500 Index Doubles Down (12/2022 – 6/2024)
Source: Morningstar. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Index performance is not illustrative of fund performance. It is not possible to invest in an index.
The relationship between large cap growth and value stocks has stretched to levels last seen in March of 2000, the height of the dot-com bubble.
Growth-to-Value Ratio Reaches Dot-Com Bubble Levels (1/1990 – 7/2024)
Source: Morningstar. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Index performance is not illustrative of fund performance. It is not possible to invest in an index. Chart represents the ratio of the Russell 1000 Growth Index vs. Russell 1000 Value Index.
Market breadth is also at extremely low levels, meaning that there is very narrow leadership in recent periods. This is evidenced by the rolling one-year excess returns of the equal-weighted version of the S&P 500 Index relative to the market capitalization-weighted headline benchmark. Market breadth, as measured by this relative performance, has historically widened out rapidly following these extreme levels, which may suggest a good set up for the equal-weighted Moat Index.
Market Breadth at Low Levels (1/1990 – 6/2024)
Source: Morningstar. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Index performance is not illustrative of fund performance. It is not possible to invest in an index.
Access Quality Companies at Attractive Valuations
VanEck Morningstar US Sustainable Wide Moat UCITS ETF (MOAT) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses the price and yield performance of the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index. Investors should be aware that investing in MOAT involves risk; please refer to the prospectus and Key Information Document (KID) available on the fund page for more detailed information on the risks associated with this ETF.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This is a marketing communication. Please refer to the prospectus of the UCITS and to the KID before making any final investment decisions. This information originates from VanEck (Europe) GmbH, which has been appointed as distributor of VanEck products in Europe by the Management Company VanEck Asset Management B.V., incorporated under Dutch law and registered with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). VanEck (Europe) GmbH with registered address at Kreuznacher Str. 30, 60486 Frankfurt, Germany, is a financial services provider regulated by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany (BaFin).
The information is intended only to provide general and preliminary information to investors and shall not be construed as investment, legal or tax advice VanEck (Europe) GmbH and its associated and affiliated companies (together “VanEck”) assume no liability with regards to any investment, divestment or retention decision taken by the investor on the basis of this information. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) but not necessarily those of VanEck. Opinions are current as of the publication date and are subject to change with market conditions. Certain statements contained herein may constitute projections, forecasts and other forward-looking statements, which do not reflect actual results. Information provided by third party sources is believed to be reliable and have not been independently verified for accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Brokerage or transaction fees may apply.
VanEck Asset Management B.V., the management company of VanEck Morningstar US Sustainable Wide Moat UCITS ETF (the "ETF"), a sub-fund of VanEck UCITS ETFs plc, is a UCITS management company under Dutch law registered with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). The ETF is registered with the Central Bank of Ireland, passively managed and tracks an equity index. Investing in the ETF should be interpreted as acquiring shares of the ETF and not the underlying assets.
Investors must read the sales prospectus and key investor information before investing in a fund. These are available in English and the KIIDs/KIDs in certain other languages as applicable and can be obtained free of charge at www.vaneck.com, from the Management Company or from the following local information agents:
Austria - Facility Agent: Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG
Germany - Facility Agent: VanEck (Europe) GmbH
Spain - Facility Agent: VanEck (Europe) GmbH
Sweden - Paying Agent: Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ)
France - Facility Agent: VanEck (Europe) GmbH
Portugal - Paying Agent: BEST – Banco Eletrónico de Serviço Total, S.A.
Luxembourg - Facility Agent: VanEck (Europe) GmbH
The Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM are service marks of Morningstar, Inc. and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by VanEck. VanEck Morningstar US Wide Moat UCITS ETF (the “ETF”) is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, and Morningstar makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the ETF.
Morningstar® US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus IndexSM are service marks of Morningstar, Inc. and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by VanEck. VanEck Morningstar US SMID Moat UCITS ETF (the “ETF”) is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, and Morningstar makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the ETF.
The S&P 500 Index (“Index”) is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and has been licensed for use by Van Eck Associates Corporation. Copyright © 2020 S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a division of S&P Global, Inc., and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Redistribution or reproduction in whole or in part are prohibited without written permission of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. For more information on any of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC’s indices please visit www.spdji.com. S&P® is a registered trademark of S&P Global and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, their affiliates nor their third party licensors make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the ability of any index to accurately represent the asset class or market sector that it purports to represent and neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, their affiliates nor their third party licensors shall have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of any index or the data included therein.
It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
All performance information is based on historical data and does not predict future returns. Investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of principal.
No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of VanEck.
© VanEck (Europe) GmbH
Important Disclosure
This is a marketing communication. Please refer to the prospectus of the UCITS and to the KID before making any final investment decisions.
This information originates from VanEck (Europe) GmbH, which has been appointed as distributor of VanEck products in Europe by the Management Company VanEck Asset Management B.V., incorporated under Dutch law and registered with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). VanEck (Europe) GmbH with registered address at Kreuznacher Str. 30, 60486 Frankfurt, Germany, is a financial services provider regulated by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany (BaFin).
The information is intended only to provide general and preliminary information to investors and shall not be construed as investment, legal or tax advice VanEck (Europe) GmbH, VanEck Switzerland AG, VanEck Securities UK Limited and their associated and affiliated companies (together “VanEck”) assume no liability with regards to any investment, divestment or retention decision taken by the investor on the basis of this information. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) but not necessarily those of VanEck. Opinions are current as of the publication date and are subject to change with market conditions. Certain statements contained herein may constitute projections, forecasts and other forward-looking statements, which do not reflect actual results. Information provided by third party sources is believed to be reliable and have not been independently verified for accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Brokerage or transaction fees may apply.
VanEck Asset Management B.V., the management company of VanEck Morningstar US Sustainable Wide Moat UCITS ETF (the "ETF"), a sub-fund of VanEck UCITS ETFs plc, is a UCITS management company under Dutch law registered with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). The ETF is registered with the Central Bank of Ireland, passively managed and tracks an equity index. Investing in the ETF should be interpreted as acquiring shares of the ETF and not the underlying assets. Investors must read the sales prospectus and key investor information before investing in a fund. These are available in English and the KIIDs/KIDs in certain other languages as applicable and can be obtained free of charge at www.vaneck.com, from the Management Company or from the following local information agents:
UK - Facilities Agent: Computershare Investor Services PLC
Austria - Facility Agent: Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG
Germany - Facility Agent: VanEck (Europe) GmbH
Spain - Facility Agent: VanEck (Europe) GmbH
Sweden - Paying Agent: Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ)
France - Facility Agent: VanEck (Europe) GmbH
Portugal - Paying Agent: BEST – Banco Eletrónico de Serviço Total, S.A.
Luxembourg - Facility Agent: VanEck (Europe) GmbH
Morningstar® US Sustainability Moat Focus Index is a trade mark of Morningstar Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by VanEck. VanEck Morningstar US Sustainable Wide Moat UCITS ETF is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar and Morningstar makes no representation regarding the advisability in VanEck Morningstar US Sustainable Wide Moat UCITS ETF.
Effective December 17, 2021 the Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexTM has been replaced with the Morningstar® US Sustainability Moat Focus Index.
Effective June 20, 2016, Morningstar implemented several changes to the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index construction rules. Among other changes, the index increased its constituent count from 20 stocks to at least 40 stocks and modified its rebalance and reconstitution methodology. These changes may result in more diversified exposure, lower turnover and longer holding periods for index constituents than under the rules in effect prior to this date.
It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
All performance information is based on historical data and does not predict future returns. Investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of principal.
No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of VanEck.
© VanEck (Europe) GmbH / VanEck Asset Management B.V.
