Stocks ticked lower this morning to kick off the final trading day of 2022. The major indices moved lower in December and are poised to break a two-month winning streak to close the worst year for stocks since 2008.
Many on Wall Street believe markets will likely remain volatile in the coming months as investor sentiment fluctuates between hopes of economic growth and recession fears. Today we’ll highlight an investment that provides large-cap exposure with a twist. It also allows investors to benefit from extreme shifts in market sentiment.
One of the first ETFs to launch from Simplify, The Simplify US Equity PLUS Downside Convexity ETF (SPD) seeks to provide capital appreciation by offering US large-cap exposure while aiming to boost performance during extreme market moves down via a systematic options overlay. The actively managed fund’s core holding gives investors low-cost, index-based exposure to US large caps. A modest option overlay budget is then deployed into a series of options positions that help create downside convexity in the fund.
Under normal circumstances, it invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of US companies, primarily by purchasing ETFs. The downside convexity option overlay consists of purchasing exchange-traded and over-the-counter put options on the S&P 500 Index or an S&P 500 Index ETF.
The option strategy is designed to provide downside protection without capping any upside participation, or in other words, it creates downside convexity in the fund. The specific put option contracts are selected strategically based on the adviser’s evaluation of relative value, strike price, and maturity. Investors should anticipate a non-linear relationship between the fund and market returns.
