A Snapshot of Growth vs. Value Investing
Supporting Image for Blog Post

 
View from the Observation Deck  
  1. As indicated in the chart, stocks are off to a strong start in 2019. We update this post every few months so that investors can see which of the two styles (growth or value) are delivering the best results.    
  2. The S&P 500 Index closed at 2,878.20 on 4/9/19. It stood 1.79% below its all-time closing high of 2,930.75 on 9/20/18, according to Bloomberg.  
  3. The S&P 500 Pure Growth Index outperformed its value counterpart in five of the six periods featured in the chart. Growth investing topped value investing for the 15-year, 5-year, 3-year, 1-year and year-to-date periods ended 4/9/19. 
  4. The returns through 4/9/19 were as follows (Pure Growth vs. Pure Value): 15-year average annualized (10.71% vs. 10.01%); 10-year average annualized (18.42% vs. 19.17%); 5-year average annualized (11.03% vs. 7.12%); 3-year average annualized (14.86% vs. 12.04%); 1-year (9.79% vs. 2.99%) and year-to-date (18.01% vs. 14.23%).
  5. As of 3/29/19, the two largest sector weightings in the S&P 500 Pure Growth Index were Information Technology (23.1%) and Health Care (15.5%), compared to Financials (33.6%) and Consumer Discretionary (16.0%) for the S&P 500 Pure Value Index, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.
  6. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its global growth estimate from the 3.5% target it set in January 2019 to 3.3% in April 2019, according to Bloomberg. The IMF also lowered its estimate for U.S. growth, from 2.5% in January to 2.3%. 
  7. Despite the tempered growth projections, growth stocks have outperformed value stocks year-to-date through 4/9/19.  
This chart is for illustrative purposes only and not indicative of any actual investment. The illustration excludes the effects of taxes and brokerage commissions or other expenses incurred when investing. Investors cannot invest directly in an index. The S&P 500 Index is a capitalization-weighted index comprised of 500 stocks (currently 505) used to measure large-cap U.S. stock market performance. The S&P 500 Pure Growth Index is a style-concentrated index designed to track the performance of stocks that exhibit the strongest growth characteristics based on three factors: sales growth, the ratio of earnings-change to price, and momentum. It includes only those components of the parent index that exhibit strong growth characteristics, and weights them by growth score. Constituents are drawn from the S&P 500 Index. The S&P 500 Pure Value Index is a style-concentrated index designed to track the performance of stocks that exhibit the strongest value characteristics based on three factors: the ratios of book value, earnings, and sales to price. It includes only those components of the parent index that exhibit strong value characteristics, and weights them by value score.  

Download a PDF of this post, please click here.
Posted on Thursday, April 11, 2019 @ 1:30 PM

These posts were prepared by First Trust Advisors L.P., and reflect the current opinion of the authors. They are based upon sources and data believed to be accurate and reliable. Opinions and forward looking statements expressed are subject to change without notice. This information does not constitute a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any security.