The research firm notes that SPLV’s exposure to financial services names is, not surprisingly, confined to lower beta fare such as insurance providers and real estate investment trusts (REITs).
“In 2014, we saw defensive consumer staples, REITs, and utilities stocks perform relatively well as interest rates have declined and international economies such as Europe and Japan fall into recession. These stocks typically offer above-average dividend yields and are focused more on the U.S. where economic growth has been relatively impressive,” said S&P Capital IQ.
As is often the case, there is a price to pay for playing defense and it comes in the form of the higher valuations often ascribed to defensive sectors. Consumer staples and utilities are two of the most expensive sectors compared to the S&P 500. Add to that, S&P Capital IQ sees the bulk of SPLV’s 99 holdings as fairly valued, but the research maintains an overweight rating on the ETF.
PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio
