News & Research

This year’s gathering in Frankfurt had much to cover, from the state of the global economy and geopolitics to the relentless expansion of AI and expectations for Germany’s new pension savings accounts. STOXX took part in an in-depth session that explored a range of indices that go beyond traditional benchmarks.

On October 29, 2001, UBS Asset Management launched its ETF business with a fund tracking the EURO STOXX 50, the benchmark for Eurozone blue chips. To mark the 25th anniversary, we take stock of the index’s changing composition and evolution through market booms and busts.

Changes to the benchmark’s rules will be introduced in stages through 2029 and are aimed at making the index more representative of the market and quicker to react to investment trends. Based on backtested data, a STOXX analysis shows that the changes are likely to have little impact on the index’s sector allocation and performance.

Assets invested in passive ETFs tracking equity indices from all providers rose 17.7% to EUR 14.2 trillion in the three months through June, boosted by share prices and inflows. Funds tracking a STOXX or DAX index increased assets by 12.9% over the period, with thematic and factor strategies recording inflows.

Changes to the benchmark’s rules were backed by industry respondents in a market consultation and will be introduced in stages through 2029. They aim to make the index more representative of the market and react faster to investment trends.

The German equity benchmark climbed 1.2% between the June and September index reviews, a slowdown from the 11.6% registered three months earlier. Investors bought shares in financial and software companies last quarter even as concerns about interest rates and geopolitics dominated markets.

The STOXX Focus indices build portfolios based on constituents’ geographic revenue sources rather than their country of domicile, providing a more accurate representation of regional risk at a time of rising geopolitical tensions and global trade frictions. BlackRock’s iShares has expanded an ETF suite tracking the indices with a pair of APAC ex-Japan strategies, adding to coverage of Europe and the UK.

As STOXX assumes administration and publication of the USD AXI and USD FXI credit-spread benchmarks, we revisit a recent article by Alex Roever, Senior Advisor to the SOFR Academy and former JPMorgan Head of US Rates Strategy, on why transparent, transaction-based credit-spread supplements can make the SOFR-centered system more resilient and provide greater visibility into emerging financial risks.

STOXX has announced the Greek companies that will enter the STOXX Europe 600 and EURO STOXX benchmarks on September 21. The European country regained its Developed Markets designation in April this year following a stark recovery in its economic and financial stability.

STOXX has launched the STOXX Investable Market Indices, a comprehensive global equity framework designed to capture approximately 99% of the investable universe with consistency, transparency and scalability. Built for modern portfolio construction, STOXX Investable Market Indices combine broad market coverage with a flexible, modular approach that supports both standard benchmarks and tailored institutional solutions. 

Assets invested in passive ETFs tracking equity indices from all providers rose 17.7% to EUR 14.2 trillion in the three months through June, boosted by share prices and inflows. Funds tracking a STOXX or DAX index increased assets by 12.9% over the period, with thematic and factor strategies recording inflows.

The EURO STOXX 50® continues to underpin an expanding range of trading and income strategies, with exchange-traded products offering leveraged, inverse and options-based exposure to the flagship Eurozone benchmark.