Q: Can I have your thoughts on EQL for a momentum play on the S&P (3 to 5 years)? Thanks
5i Research Answer:
There have been studies conducted that show equal-weighted indices tend to outperform their market-weighted counterparts over the long term. Since the early 2000s, the equal-weighted S&P 500 index has outperformed the market-weighted S&P 500, and it is only over the last several years that market-weighted has demonstrated outperformance. Part of EQL's long-term outperformance can be attributed to the underlying investment actions of 'buy low, sell high', as it will continue to sell winners and add to underperformers.
As a play on expectations for expanding breadth in the coming years (the remaining 493 companies to see outperformance), we feel this is reasonable, and we expect breadth to improve as we continue into a new bull market.