BlackRock Shifts Toward Value in Portfolio Allocations
The firm added nearly $5 billion to two value ETFs last week.
BlackRock Inc. inflows into value ETFs reached nearly $5 billion last week as the firm’s model portfolios shifted to value stocks following positive economic growth signals.
Inflows to the iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (IVE) hit $2.9 billion on Jan. 25, while the BlackRock US Equity Factor Rotation ETF (DYNF) saw $1.9 billion enter the fund, Bloomberg first reported. The investment team behind the firm’s Target Allocation ETF model portfolio suite opted to buy the two value funds while selling the iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) and the iShares S&P 100 ETF (OEF).
“Our view on value is because we see that value stocks have historically outperformed their growth counterparts when we’ve seen the Fed shift to easing, the 10yr yield fall from its peak and the curve re-steepen towards positive territory,” wrote lead portfolio manager for BlackRock’s Target Allocation ETF model portfolio suite Michael Gates in an investment commentary note reviewed by etf.com. “We are selling factor and factor-like exposures down to add to DYNF,” he added.
BlackRock rebalances target allocation model portfolios approximately four times a year, according to a company spokesperson.
S&P Recovery
Amid cooling inflation and positive GDP growth in the last quarter of 2023, the S&P 500 has recovered from its 2022 lows. The index is up 22% over the past year, largely due to high-flying tech stocks. The Nasdaq 100 index grew 47% over the same time period.
When the market improves, investors often see opportunities in value, which includes undervalued stocks with solid fundamentals, such as utilities and financial services companies. The largest holdings in the iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (IVE) are Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase, and Exxon Mobil.
Yet Gates emphasized that the firm remains upbeat about the tech stocks that have fueled the current bull market. “The picture for forward earnings remains brightest in the U.S. and in the tech sector, where we keep our highest conviction bets, especially relative to developed markets ex-U.S. and [emerging markets],” Gates wrote in the note.
Model portfolios offered by firms such as BlackRock, Vanguard, and Charles Schwab offer investors a range of products that address investors’ different tolerance for risk and investment philosophies.
The Target Allocation suite includes BlackRock’s Target Allocation ETF, the Target Allocation Tax Aware ETF, and the Target Allocation ESG ETF, among other SMAs and ETFs.
Contact Lucy Brewster at [email protected].