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Chart of the week

Diversification is key as the Mag 7 overshadows market

The Magnificent 7 tech stocks increasingly dictate the risk and return profile of the S&P 500, emphasizing the importance of diversification.

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June 7, 2024 | 2 minute read

Magnificent 7 contribution to S&P 500 monthly volatility

Line chart shows the steadily rising contribution of the Magnificent 7 to the monthly volatility of the S&P 500 as these stocks (Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, META, Invidia, Tesla and Google) represent 32% of the Index. Investing in the S&P 500 increasingly implies a bet on their performance.

Source: Bloomberg Finance, L.P., as of May 31, 2024. Magnificent Seven includes MSFT, AAPL, AMZN, META, NVDA, TSLA and GOOG. 

  • Major equity indices hit new all-time highs this week, highlighting stocks’ strong run over the past 18 months. Despite markets’ notable optimism, investors continue to wrestle with potentially challenging allocation decisions given the current macro backdrop.
  • Stock-bond correlations are at a 40-year high, calling into question bonds’ reliability as a portfolio ballast against volatile equity markets.1 Core fixed income in particular has struggled amid significant rate volatility, returning -0.17% over the past five years.2
  • Additionally, investing in the S&P 500 increasingly implies a concentrated bet on the Magnificent 7, an inescapable group of massive U.S. tech and tech-related firms.
  • The Mag 7’s weighting in the S&P 500 has skyrocketed over the past decade, eclipsing 30% today and, as the chart shows, its contribution to the index’s risk is also meaningfully higher (42%).1
  • Against a backdrop of historically high stock-bond correlations and historically high concentration within the equity market, it is increasingly important to find alternative sources of diversification.

  • Bloomberg Finance, L.P. as of May 31, 2023. Rolling 36-month correlation between the S&P 500 and Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index.

  • Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index as of May 31, 2024.

The chart of the week and any accompanying data is for informational purposes only and shall not be considered an investment recommendation or promotion of FS Investments or any FS Investments fund. The chart of the week is subject to change at any time based on market or other conditions, and FS Investments and FS Investment Solutions, LLC disclaim any responsibility to update such market commentary. The chart of the week should not be relied on as investment advice, and because investment decisions for the FS Investments funds are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of the investment intent of any FS Investments fund. None of FS Investments, its funds, FS Investment Solutions, LLC or their respective affiliates can be held responsible for any direct or incidental loss incurred as a result of any reliance on the chart of the week or other opinions expressed therein. Any discussion of past performance should not be used as an indicator of future results.

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