We review issue performance over the second quarter, present the angle of a long-term view and look to indications from our adaptive multi-factor mannequin heading into Q3. The U.S. price momentum factor, which we highlighted for elevated crowding scores and vulnerability to adverse performance at the end of June, suffered sizable drawdowns in the first seven trading days of September. Single-factor portfolios seek excessive publicity to a target issue and restricted exposure to non-target ones. We assess the impact that frequent portfolio weighting schemes have on these exposures, as properly as on portfolio efficiency, focus and investability. We propose a framework for assessing the “bubbliness” of shares and portfolios, rooted in the thought that bubbles are driven by the identical forces, and share characteristics with crowded trades.
