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Following 15 months of uninterrupted gains in global stocks, volatility made a comeback in February, whiplashing investors accustomed to a long stretch of solid and stable returns. The culprit was reportedly the sudden spike in US bond yields, which puts pressure on long-term financial results.
The STOXX® Global 1800 Index slumped in the month, as did benchmarks for all major regions. A decline in the euro helped cushion losses for European-based investors. The worst of the sell-off occurred in the month’s first week, with a later market rebound only paring some of the losses.
Amid the stress, low-volatility strategies resisted some of the decline, as should be expected. This included indices such as the STOXX® Global 1800 Minimum Variance Unconstrained Index.
It wasn’t all losses. The thematic STOXX® Global Artificial Intelligence and iSTOXX® FactSet Digitalisation indices were among a few that posted positive returns in the month. Furthermore, Europe pure factor premia gained over the time period, aided by the absence of systematic risk. This is reflected in the iSTOXX® Europe Factor Market Neutral indices.
Please find details in the attached monthly index news.
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