There have been some major headlines dominating the stock market so far this year. From geopolitical risks following conflicts in Venezuela and Iran to the continuous discourse surrounding an AI bubble, several macroeconomic factors loom over the markets. Through it all, concentration risk remains as one of the most direct threats to investors and it continues to weigh on portfolios as other market pressures heat up.
Key Takeaways:
- While this year’s headlines have focused on geopolitical conflicts and AI, concentration risk remains a serious concern for investors.
- Much of that risk stems from massive stock market reliance on a handful of names exposed to AI. Should these big IPOs highlight issues, markets may waiver.
- Quality international equities ETFs like QINT can help to mitigate these risks by diversifying portfolios.
Yes, major tech and AI IPOs are on the horizon, potentially catalyzing some serious volatility, and yes, a U.S.-Israel-Iran peace deal remains as far off as ever. These two factors alone add stress to portfolios — especially those that are severely overweight with just a few names.
While big tech earnings have delivered for loyal investors, the need for diversification is growing larger and larger. Should, for example, issues arise following the Anthropic IPO’s initial burst of excitement, or inflation see interest rate hikes, heavily AI-reliant firms and sectors could very well take a hit.
QINT’s Quality-Driven Diversification
Investing outside of the United States is one way that investors can diversify and gain access to stocks with cheaper valuations. Funds like the American Century Quality Diversified International ETF (QINT) not only diversify away from concentration risk, but also offer an important quality screen.
The strategy charges a 34-basis-point fee to track a large- and mid-cap index of ex-U.S. firms. It looks for companies with strong growth potential, healthy financials, and attractive fundamentals. What’s more, it also balances growth and value stocks as needed, emphasizing larger, less volatile names. This multi-factor approach allows the fund to identify not only effective diversifiers, but also high performers.
QINT has demonstrated the efficacy of this strategy, posting a 26.6% return over the last 12 months and outperforming the ETF Database Foreign Large Cap Equities category average in that time frame — according to ETF Database data.
Intriguingly, while the major tech stocks in the U.S. have been hot this year, QINT has displayed strong momentum. According to the ETF’s tech chart, its price has risen above both its 50 and 200-day Simple Moving Averages (SMAs), a traditional measure of momentum.
See more: Need Income? American Century Debuts Securitized Credit ETF
WIth all factors combined, this strategy offers an effective tool for diversifying away from U.S. tech giants. For the many investors already so heavily exposed to those mega-cap names, QINT’s quality-focused framework could be a timely solution to mitigate concentration risk.
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VettaFi LLC (“VettaFi”) is the index provider for QINT , for which it receives an index licensing fee. However, QINT is not issued, sponsored, endorsed, or sold by VettaFi, and VettaFi has no obligation or liability in connection with the issuance, administration, marketing, or trading of QINT.
