Insights
Indexing

Three index ideas to drive success

Three index ideas to drive success
Contents

Indexes are an important foundation, enabling investment products to capitalize on timely market opportunities and compelling investment ideas. The right index can provide a blueprint to success by capturing elements like underutilized growth potential, decreasing operating costs, or increasing efficiency.

Issuers looking to achieve positive results should consider the following:

  • Differentiated investment ideas
  • Low-cost options
  • Fresh takes on a mainstream benchmark concept

Here are three index ideas that follow this formula.

Differentiated investment idea: Tapping into both sides of the energy transition equation

Solving the global energy trilemma - the need for secure, affordable, and low-carbon energy solutions - will require the use of both fossil fuels and clean energy sources for many years to come.

The energy crisis is a long-term problem, and investments in oil and gas will continue even as cleaner energy alternatives start to come online, creating a growth opportunity for investors to capture. For investors contemplating the best way to gain exposure to the companies actively addressing this problem, a combination of alternative and traditional energy companies may be the most practical approach.

However, investment products rarely commingle fossil fuel and new energy companies, even though both are at the center of efforts to de-carbonize our energy sources. Many energy indexes rely exclusively on one or another, but the VettaFi 2050 Energy Transition Index (VNRGT) combines both, offering more diversified and time-based exposure.

Combining clean energy and fossil fuel companies with a dynamic weighting scheme, the VettaFi 2050 Energy Transition Index (VNRGT) reflects the current global energy mix and how it will likely evolve. It includes the companies addressing the world’s need for secure, affordable, and low-carbon energy for years to come.

Want to dive deeper into this investment idea? Check out our recent article.

Low-cost option: Benchmark series

Benchmarks are an essential part of a product – whether passive or active. The SEC recently implemented a definition change in form N-1A effective July 2024, that open-ended funds must compare performance to an “appropriate broad-based securities market index.”

VettaFi offers the U.S. and global benchmark index series that can provide issuers a cost-effective way to benchmark their funds across U.S., developed, and emerging markets.

This core benchmark series serves as a source of viable benchmarks that can serve as a lower-cost alternative to widely adopted broad-based benchmarks, providing global coverage of equity markets across sizes and segments.

While new rule changes can be bureaucratic hassles, they can also provide an opportunity to explore new index possibilities and re-imagine how you could cut costs, increase efficiency, and improve your product capabilities.

Looking for a more efficient benchmark? We have options – talk to the team.

A fresh take on a classic concept: Demographic Tilts

One way to provide a differentiated product in the market is to take a core offering and apply a fresh, interesting growth-potential tilt.

In addition to diversification, investors often look abroad for more favorable valuations and growth potential accompanied by favorable macro regime shifts. International market allocations are typically sourced by traditional, market-cap-weighted indexes. Demographic trends offer a new lens to view evolving growth opportunities.

Overweighting the countries best positioned for long-term growth based on demographic trends offers a compelling and unique investment approach. Investors looking for a differentiated, growth-oriented approach to investing abroad should consider VettaFi’s new family of demographic growth indexes. These indexes tilt towards countries and regions that have younger, rapidly growing working-age populations driving economic consumption and GDP expansion while tilting away from countries whose expected working-age population demographics are less favorable to sustain long-term growth.

The VettaFi Developed Ex United States Demographic Dividend Growth Index (DXUDDG) modifies the VettaFi Developed World ex United States Index (VFDXUS) that focuses on developed countries ex-United States by applying a working age population growth factor to its constituent weight. The VettaFi Emerging Markets Demographic Dividend Growth Index (EMDDG) does the same to the VettaFi Emerging Markets Index (VFEM).

Leveraging the opportunities available in countries with more favorable demographics and burgeoning young workforce, these indexes provide a core allocation with a tilt towards countries/regions poised for growth based on economic trends.

Interested in learning more? Read our latest article about demographic tilts.

These indexes are available for licensing. Be the first to bring these unique investment ideas to market – or consider decreasing your operating costs by switching to a lower-cost benchmark.

We’re here to assist with all your product development needs – book time with the team.

RELATED TOPICS

Related products

Related products

No items found.

Related insights