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4 defensively-oriented strategies to consider in 2019

Publicerad

7 år sedan

den

24 januari, 2019

Global markets, led largely by US equities, have been treated to a fairly robust period since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-09. As 2019 begins, investors are beginning to think about what might happen if that next recession actually materializes, as the US has undergone what is now close to the longest ever economic expansion in the post World War Two period. Importantly, measures of volatility indicate a higher overall level of risk, relative to either the start of 2017 or the start of 2018.

In such environments, we believe that investors might be thinking about positioning their investment strategies in a more defensively-oriented manner. There still could be good reason to hold risky assets, as late cycle rallies can and do occur, but it may now be more important to mitigate downside risk.

We’d cite the age-old investment truism—if a portfolio loses 50% of its value, what is the rate of return required to get back to even? While many might initially say “50%”, the true answer is 100%. Strategies that lead to the potential for less negative returns in tougher markets can therefore be quite valuable.

At WisdomTree, we can think of four primary means to mitigate the risk that a given strategy drops significantly in a given downturn. Unfortunately, they don’t always work to the same degree and they aren’t guaranteed to work across every market downdraft, but they are important to keep in mind nonetheless.

Strategy 1: Find historically low valuations.

When investors locate valuations that are at or near historic lows, this can be an important signal that a lot of risks that may be dominating the headlines have been priced in. Another way to think of this is that all the reasons to worry have already caused the market in question to decline, so absent even more, new and surprising reasons to worry, it could be tough for that market to decline further. There is word commonly associated with this type of strategy: Contrarian.

Possible markets to consider on this basis: Emerging markets, Italian equities—particularly Italian financial sector, and Japanese equities.

Strategy 2: Find high dividend yielding stocks

One aspect of this strategy considers that, in equities, there is always a dividend component and a price component of a given total return calculation. The dividend component, at worst, can be zero, in that there are no dividends, whereas the price component can clearly be positive, zero, or negative. A strategy focused on higher yielding stocks is tilting more of the total return’s generation towards dividends and way from prices, and, since the dividend component of the return is less volatile, this is one way to lower the risk of an equity strategy.

The other aspect to consider regards the fact that higher yielding stocks tend to be found in more defensively oriented sectors, such as utilities. Tilting exposure toward these sectors can be another potential avenue through which the total risk of an equity strategy can be lowered.

Possible markets to consider on this basis: Emerging markets equities, European equities, and US equities.

Strategy 3: Sell assets that have positive price correlation to volatility

Using history as our guide, when equity markets enter severely negative trends, it has been typical to see measures like the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) spike in the upward direction. The VIX has an important signalling capability, in that it indicates the forward-looking expectations of future volatility for the S&P 500. If the VIX is higher, it means that forward-looking expectations of volatility are expected to be higher. Certain assets like put options that have the S&P 500 as their underlying index would tend to see their prices rise in accordance with the rising VIX levels.

There is a well-known strategy where one can sell put options on the S&P 500, thereby collecting the premiums. The case for any put-writing strategy is of course directly tied to the underlying index upon which the options themselves are being written. If the premiums can tend to rise along with a rising VIX, what this indicates is a potential for the cushioning of downside risk during tougher market environments.

In the US, equities had reached record highs in early October of 2018 and valuations were quite high relative to other global markets. Record high prices and high relative valuations do tend to give investors more cause for concern to worry about downside risk, and this concern in our view is a critical catalyst for considering a put writing strategy.

Possible markets to consider on this basis: US equities.

Strategy 4: Don’t forget about traditional “safe haven” assets

Each of the first three strategies takes an approach to lower the risk of a given exposure either to equities directly or to something with high correlation to equities. We recognize that as volatility picks up, holding equities may become a less desirable approach whether or not is using some form of risk mitigation within the approach.

If volatility is increasing due to the perception of increased geopolitical risk, gold may be worth considering. Historically, when investors have been concerned about unexpected events or surprised by the direction politics takes in a major country, gold has been associated with delivering a differentiated return stream as compared to equities.

Another avenue might regard certain currencies, such as the US Dollar or Japanese Yen. These currencies have indicated a capability to increase in value as volatility has increased.

Possible markets to consider on this basis: Gold, US Dollar, Japanese Yen

Due to recent events, we have focused here on more defensively-oriented angles here. If investors are uncertain in their 2019 positioning, these approaches may lower their overall portfolios risk. For more information, visit WisdomTree.com.

DISCLAIMER

The content on this document is issued by WisdomTree UK Ltd (“WTUK”), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”). Our Conflicts of Interest Policy and Inventory are available on request.

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Concerned about rising government debt? Bitcoin’s got you covered

Publicerad

15 timmar sedan

den

8 september, 2025

Redaktionen

Amid soaring US debt and Gold’s steady gains, Bitcoin has continued to deliver strong returns over the past 15 years. Its scarcity and decentralization make it a hedge that investors can’t ignore, providing new ways to pursue growth, security, and opportunity in an evolving financial landscape.

Investors can’t ignore the corporate world’s big bet on Ethereum

Ethereum is stealing the spotlight, as public companies have accumulated over 4.4 million ETH, worth nearly $19 billion, in the past few months. This treasury boom is outpacing Bitcoin’s early adoption and redefining how Wall Street approaches digital assets.

The rise of Hyperliquid: DeFi’s record-breaking powerhouse

Hyperliquid is making waves in DeFi perpetuals by setting new records, leading trading volumes, and propelling its token to all-time highs. Backed by market volatility, high-performance infrastructure, and concentrated liquidity, the platform continues to draw investors and assert its market dominance.

Research Newsletter

Each week the 21Shares Research team will publish our data-driven insights into the crypto asset world through this newsletter. Please direct any comments, questions, and words of feedback to research@21shares.com

Disclaimer

The information provided does not constitute a prospectus or other offering material and does not contain or constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction. Some of the information published herein may contain forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. The information contained herein may not be considered as economic, legal, tax or other advice and users are cautioned to base investment decisions or other decisions solely on the content hereof.

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N100 ETF följer det amerikanska Nasdaq 100 indexet

Publicerad

17 timmar sedan

den

8 september, 2025

Redaktionen

iShares NASDAQ 100 Swap UCITS ETF USD (Acc) (N100 ETF) med ISIN IE0001ZFMLN7, försöker följa Nasdaq 100®-indexet. Nasdaq 100®-indexet spårar ett urval av 100 aktier valda bland icke-finansiella aktier noterade på NASDAQ-börsen.

Den börshandlade fondens TER (total cost ratio) uppgår till 0,20 % p.a. ETFen replikerar det underliggande indexets prestanda syntetiskt med en swap. Utdelningarna i ETFen ackumuleras och återinvesteras.

iShares NASDAQ 100 Swap UCITS ETF USD (Acc) är en mycket liten ETF med 4 miljoner euro under förvaltning. Denna ETF lanserades den 3 oktober 2024 och har sin hemvist i Irland.

Varför N100?

Exponering mot 100 av de största amerikanska och internationella icke-finansiella aktierna noterade på NASDAQ-börsen.

Exponering för företag inom stora industrigrupper inklusive hårdvara och mjukvara, telekommunikation, detaljhandel/grossisthandel och bioteknik.

Använd i din portfölj för att söka tillväxt på medellång till lång sikt även om fonden också kan vara lämplig för kortsiktig exponering mot index.

Investeringsmål

Fonden strävar efter att uppnå avkastning på din investering, genom en kombination av kapitaltillväxt och inkomst på fondens tillgångar, vilket återspeglar den totala nettoavkastningen för NASDAQ 100-indexet (”Indexet”).

Handla N100 ETF

iShares NASDAQ 100 Swap UCITS ETF USD (Acc) (N100 ETF) är en börshandlad fond (ETF) som handlas på London Stock Exchange.

London Stock Exchange är en marknad som få svenska banker och nätmäklare erbjuder access till, men DEGIRO gör det.

Börsnoteringar

Börs	Valuta	Kortnamn
Euronext Amsterdam	USD	NASQ
London Stock Exchange	GBP	N100

Största innehav

Kortnamn	Namn	Sektor	Vikt (%)	ISIN	Valuta
XNSX	NASDAQ 100 GROSS INDEX IN USD	Other	99.34	–	USD
FTNT	FORTINET INC	Informationsteknologi	4.92	US34959E1091	USD
AMZN	AMAZON COM INC	Sällanköpsvaror	3.95	US0231351067	USD
EPAM	EPAM SYSTEMS INC	Informationsteknologi	3.81	US29414B1044	USD
TSLA	TESLA INC	Sällanköpsvaror	3.79	US88160R1014	USD
GDDY	GODADDY INC CLASS A	Informationsteknologi	3.49	US3802371076	USD
PYPL	PAYPAL HOLDINGS INC	Finans	3.32	US70450Y1038	USD
ADSK	AUTODESK INC	Informationsteknologi	3.31	US0527691069	USD
NFLX	NETFLIX INC	Kommunikation	3.30	US64110L1061	USD
CDNS	CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS INC	Informationsteknologi	3.28	US1273871087	USD

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IncomeShares Monthly Investor Update – August 2025

Publicerad

18 timmar sedan

den

8 september, 2025

Redaktionen

IncomeShares passed three milestones in August. Assets under management climbed to almost $66 million, cumulative fund flows topped $72 million, and turnover across London and Xetra listings reached over $27 million. Palantir paid the highest annualised distribution yield at 57.11%. The sections below break the numbers down in more detail.

Cumulative fund flows

Fund flows track how much money investors put into or take out of IncomeShares ETPs (exchange-traded products). Positive flows mean more money coming in than going out – a sign of demand for the products.

Flows have risen every month this year. In January, they stood at $13.7 million. By the end of August, they reached $72.4 million. That’s over $8 million of new money added in August alone – the biggest increase since May.

Trading turnover

Turnover is the total dollar value of IncomeShares ETPs bought and sold on the exchanges. Higher turnover means more activity and liquidity for investors.

Turnover reached $27.3 million in August – the highest on record and more than double January’s $13.0 million. London listings (USD and GBP combined) made up $14.2 million, with Xetra listings close behind at $13.1 million. Both exchanges have seen steady increases through 2025, showing rising interest in income options strategies across the board.

Note: Figures use IDC FX rates as of the August month-end to convert GBP and EUR into USD. We apply the same August rates to all prior months to compare turnover on a like-for-like basis.

Assets under management (AUM)

AUM is the total value of assets held across all IncomeShares ETPs. It grows when new investors buy in, or when the underlying assets rise in value.

AUM grew from $13.8 million in January to $65.8 million at the end of August. It was also $8 million more than in July. Steady inflows and consistent income distributions are helping the product range build scale.

Distribution yields

Distribution yields represent the annualised income paid to investors as a percentage of the current NAV (net asset value), based on the latest month’s yield. IncomeShares ETPs aim to generate this income from selling options. Yields change each month depending on strategy performance and market volatility.

Annualised August yields (ranked highest to lowest):

• Palantir Options ETP (PLTY): 57.11%

• Nasdaq 100 Options ETP (QQQY): 46.44%

• Coinbase Options ETP (COIY): 43.60%

• AMD Options ETP (AMDY): 41.43%

• Tesla Options ETP (TSLI): 40.97%

• Broadcom Options ETP (AVGY): 40.96%

• MicroStrategy Options ETP (MSTY): 37.61%

• Alibaba Options ETP (BABY): 35.90%

• S&P 500 Options ETP (SPYY): 32.95%

• NVIDIA Options ETP (NVDI): 28.42%

• Alphabet Options ETP (GOOI): 18.15%

• Magnificent 7 Options ETP (MAGO): 16.87%

• Apple Options ETP (AAPPY): 15.55%

• 20+ Year Treasury Options ETP (TLTY): 12.38%

• Amazon Options ETP (AMZI): 12.00%

• Silver+ Yield Options ETP (SLVY): 11.56%

• Meta Options ETP (METY): 11.32%

• Gold+ Yield Options ETP (GLDI): 6.74%

• Microsoft Options ETP (MSFY): 6.54%

Our Palantir ETP topped the list with an annualised yield of 57.11% for August, up from 30.57% in July. The stock was volatile in August, trading between $142 and $190. That wider range increased option premiums, which boosted the ETP’s yield. The ETP sells put options on Palantir stock and holds shares – the strategy used for all our single stock ETPs and the Magnificent 7 product.

The Nasdaq 100 ETP paid an annualised yield of 46.44% in August, up slightly from 44.52% in July. At the other end, Gold+ and Microsoft stayed below 7%, reflecting relatively calmer conditions in their underlying assets.

The table below shows the annalised distribution yields for all IncomeShares ETPs so far this year. Note that the bottom eight ETPs launched in late June, so they only have yields for July and August.