Index spotlight

As it turns 13, the STOXX Thematics index suite continues to grow, offering investors exposure to structural megratrends changing our modern world. We look at the historical performance of the indices and zoom in on 2023 – a year dominated by technology themes.

The sector composition of the Eurozone blue-chip benchmark looks very different from its inception 26 years ago. Most recently, two technology stocks – ASML and SAP – have had the biggest influence on the index’s direction, and may be re-positioning it in the eyes of investors.

The international body’s framework is a step forward in the adoption of nature-focused metrics. It can help companies address biodiversity issues and guide investors in the construction of portfolios. We compare the TNFD’s recommended process to that of the ISS STOXX® Biodiversity indices.

At a recent IPE webinar, experts from STOXX, ISS ESG and DWS discussed how biodiversity impact is becoming a new risk consideration for portfolio managers amid tightening regulation and client demand. Participants also examined the new ISS STOXX Biodiversity indices as a framework to tackle nature-related risks and opportunities.

Looking at business lines’ revenues allows the index to tap those companies benefitting from growing demand for the AI ecosystem — from computing applications to chips, and from data to cloud computing. As AI has its “iPhone moment,” we explore what’s in an AI index portfolio.

The goals of the Paris Agreement depend inexorably on the decarbonization of the transport sector and, therefore, on the widespread adoption of electric cars. Investors can join the clean transportation megatrend through targeted thematic strategies.

After two years of rallying, energy stocks have experienced a turn in fortunes in 2023 as commodity prices continue to slide. Nevertheless, the STOXX Europe 600 Oil & Gas index has retained some attributes, such as positive active exposures to the Earnings Yield and Value factors.

As the luxury goods industry experiences a post-pandemic boom and its companies become some of the largest in the world, a new thematic index and ETF offer investors an opportunity to track this business segment in a targeted way that would not be possible through a traditional sector strategy. The Kodex European Luxury Top 10 ETF was listed in Korea on Apr. 25 and tracks the STOXX Europe Luxury 10 index.

Despite its main association with online gaming and social media, the Metaverse is also providing a virtual platform for industries to employ technologies aimed at improving efficiency, controlling supply chains and monitoring risk-management processes. The STOXX Global Metaverse Index is designed to capture the pioneers developing those applications.

Using Axioma’s Macroeconomic Projection Model, we decompose the risk factors that drove returns in the STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure between 2020 and 2022. The results show the index had a positive exposure to the risk model’s inflation factors, meaning it stood to benefit from rising global inflation expectations.

Qontigo has been busy in the past two years enhancing the DAX rulebook, to bolster the quality of constituent companies, bring selection criteria in line with international standards and improve representativeness of the underlying markets. Serkan Batir, Qontigo’s Managing Director for Indices, says the overhaul helps ensure the benchmark is fit for purpose in an evolving financial landscape.

Technological advancements are at the core of many disruptive economic trends harnessed by the STOXX Thematic indices. We look at seven of the strategies — from automation to electric vehicles and smart city infrastructure — designed to track the companies shaping our digital future.