📉Small-Cap Value Tilt

🧭 Background & Context

The small-cap value tilt strategy is based on the historical outperformance of small, undervalued stocks compared to the overall market. This phenomenon is explained by the size and value premiums documented in academic research, particularly in the Fama-French model. Investors use this overweighting to increase long-term returns but must accept higher volatility and periods of underperformance. The premium is not guaranteed, as it may arise from market inefficiencies or higher risks (e.g., illiquidity, cyclical sensitivity). A disciplined implementation therefore requires a long investment horizon and the resolve to stick with the strategy even during weak phases.

📊 Market Environment & Drivers

The key drivers currently are robust US consumer demand, which remains stable despite high interest rates, and the ongoing wave of AI investment, which particularly supports the technology sector. Added to this are the loose fiscal policies of many countries and the normalization of supply chains, which boost production. Central banks are signaling an end to the interest rate hiking cycle, improving financing conditions. Geopolitical tensions and commodity prices, on the other hand, act as dampening counterforces.