Value was able to outdo growth during the month of June, which was the first time the factor was able to do so in seven months. Can value keep up its lead on growth as fears of a global economic slowdown could spur investors into more of a risk-off sentiment?
“Value stocks outperformed Growth stocks for the first time in 7 months, but readers may remember that we noted the slowing velocity of Growth outperformance over the trailing 3-months as of the end of May,” noted a Direxion Investments Relative Weight Spotlight report.
“While our model shows that short-term price momentum currently favors Value names relative to Growth, the macroeconomic environment and relative strength in market positioning supports our thesis to continue to be biased towards Growth names for the intermediate term,” the report added.
Buying stocks on the cheap relative to their value and then holding them for an extended duration has been the impetus for value investing. With investing icons like Warren Buffett popularizing the strategy, it’s difficult to not consider value investing as part of one’s portfolio, but with the bull market still in its extended phase and investors basking in the sunlight of growth, are they ready to completely bury value?
One way investors can achieve this is by concentrating on the value factor. During the volatile moments of the market, investors were quick to react to trade war news. It’s the type of noise that muddies the minds of investors and disconnects them from the fundamentals of an asset and thus, it’s value.
Last year, the growth factor had its day in the sun as the extended bull market hit its peak. Now, investors are realizing the downside of also owning these growth-oriented equities.
That isn’t to say, however, that value stocks are completely immune to fluctuations in the market. Just like during the market doldrums to end 2018, investors are typically better off discarding the growth factor and seeking refuge under an umbrella of value as a defensive play.
ETFs to Watch
For investors looking to capitalize on continued emphasis on growth, they can play the Direxion Russell 1000 Growth Over Value ETF (NYSEArca: RWGV). If they feel value could resurrect itself, they could also use the Direxion Russell 1000 Value Over Growth ETF (NYSEArca: RWVG).
However, speaking to the point of growth exercising its strength over value, RWGV measures the performance of a portfolio that has 150% long exposure to the Russell 1000® Value Index (the “Long Component”) and 50% short exposure to the Russell 1000® Growth Index (the “Short Component”). On a monthly basis, the Index will rebalance such that the weight of the Long Component is equal to 150% and the weight of the Short Component is equal to 50% of the Index value.
In tracking the Index, the Fund seeks to provide a vehicle for investors looking to efficiently express a value over growth investment view by overweighting exposure to the Long Component and shorting exposure to the Short Component.
For investors looking for continued upside in growth-oriented equities over value-oriented equities, RWGV offers them the ability to benefit not only from growth opportunities potentially performing well, but from their outperformance compared to value. Conversely, if investors believe that value-oriented equities will outperform growth-oriented equities, RWVG provides a means to not only see value opportunities perform well, but as a way to capitalize on their outperformance compared to growth.
Trade wars is just one facet that could affect value over growth or vice versa. With a U.S.-China trade deal already priced into the markets, the next trigger event investors can look to is rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
For more market trends, visit ETF Trends.