ETFdb Logo
ETFdb Logo
  • ETF Database
  • Channels
    • Active ETF
    • Alternatives
    • Beyond Basic Beta
    • China Insights
    • Climate Insights
    • Commodities
    • Core Strategies
    • Crypto
    • Disruptive Technology
    • Dividend
    • Dual Impact
    • Emerging Markets
    • Energy Infrastructure
    • ESG
    • ETF Building Blocks
    • ETF Education
    • ETF Strategist
    • Fixed Income
    • Free Cash Flow
    • Future ETFs
    • Global Diversification
    • Gold & Silver Investing
    • Innovative ETFs
    • Institutional Income Strategies
    • Leveraged & Inverse
    • Managed Futures
    • Market Insights
    • Megatrends
    • Modern Alpha
    • Multi-Asset
    • Night Effect
    • Portfolio Strategies
    • Retirement Income
    • Richard Bernstein Advisors
    • Tax Efficient Income
    • Thematic Investing
    • Volatility Resource
  • Tools
    • ETF Screener
    • ETF Country Exposure Tool
    • ETF Sector Tracker Tool
    • ETF Database Categories
    • Head-To-Head ETF Comparison Tool
    • ETF Stock Exposure Tool
    • ETF Issuer Fund Flows
    • Indexes
    • Mutual Fund To ETF Converter
    • ETF Data for Journalists
    • ETF Nerds
  • Research
    • First Bitcoin ETF
    • ETF Education
    • Equity Investing
    • Dividend ETFs
    • Leveraged ETFs
    • Inverse ETFs
    • Index Education
    • Index Insights
    • Top ETF Sectors
    • Top ETF Issuers
    • Top ETF Industries
  • Webcasts
  • Themes
    • AI ETFs
    • Blockchain ETFs
    • See all Thematic Investing ETF themes
    • ESG Investing
    • Marijuana ETFs
  • Multimedia
    • ETF 360 Video Series
    • ETF Trends on Videos
    • ETF Trends on Podcasts
    • ETF Prime Podcast
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Swag Store
  • PRO
    • Pro Content
    • Pro Tools
    • Advanced
    • FAQ
    • Pricing
    • Free Sign Up
    • Login
  1. The Best and Worst Model ETF Portfolios of 2015
News
Share

The Best and Worst Model ETF Portfolios of 2015

Stoyan BojinovDec 30, 2015
2015-12-30

Major equity indexes went their separate ways in 2015. The broad market rally that has characterized much of this multi-year bull run lost steam, and much like the averages, ETFdb’s model portfolios were widespread in their annual returns.

2014 was the year of “Buy the Dip.” Fast forward to today, and the best advice (in retrospect) for 2015’s market environment is perhaps best characterized as “Sell the Pop.” Picking the right sector, industry, and region made all the difference in 2015 as investors rebalanced their portfolios in light of an aging bull market, and ahead of the Fed rate hike.

Below, we break down the five best and worst performing model ETF portfolios to see how they stacked up against one another, as well as the broader market. See all 50+ ETF Model Portofolios here.

For comparison’s sake, consider the following: the S&P 500 (SPY A) and DJIA (DIA B+) posted lackluster returns of 0.90% and -0.51% respectively, whereas the NASDAQ (QQQ B+) slapped on a healthy gain of 10.69% in 2015, at the time of writing (YTD returns as of 1/2 -12/29/15).

Note that portfolio returns are as of market close 12/28/15.

The Best Performers

best etf portfolios 2015

Content continues below advertisement

In terms of sectors, the best performing slice of the market in 2015 was technology hands-down, followed by health care. In fact, strength in just a few tech-internet names is what propelled the NASDAQ ahead of its major index peers, and kept the S&P 500 dearly afloat; that is the group FANG, or Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Neftlix (NFLX), and Google (GOOG) is what propelled the High-Tech portfolio ahead of the pack.

The second-best performer, the Baby Boomers Portfolio, saw tailwinds from strong returns across biotech stocks. This still-hot industry posted healthy gains, even after a big shakeout in the second half of the year amid the de-risking period in the market that was spared as a result of rate hike fears.

The bottom three best performing portfolios didn’t really move the needle in comparison to the broad market. Nonetheless, the themes that “worked” in 2015 were: preference for U.S. dollar-denominated assets amid Fed tightening, growth stocks continue to outperform value, and muni bonds were a safe haven for fixed income

The Worst Performers

worst etf portfolios 2015

With the continued collapse of crude oil prices and no signs of mercy from OPEC or Congress (with the lifting of the U.S. export ban), it’s no wonder that the Energy-Bull portfolio found itself at the bottom of the barrel in 2015. Deteriorating growth forecasts in China mixed with U.S. dollar pricing pressures sent metals prices lower and the Mining Boom portfolio followed suit.

When China sneezes, emerging markets catch a cold. The LatAm portfolio in particular was dragged down by Brazil’s negative equity market returns in the year; falling oil prices and weakness in China proved too great of headwinds for the once-hot Brazilian market to overcome in 2015.

The Bottom Line

When looking back at our 2014 model portfolio recap, one could easily call it déjà vu. We see that High-Tech and Baby Boomers were big repeat winners — in fact, all they did was trade spots the last two years. Similarly, emerging markets and commodity-themed portfolios were big losers in both years. It is exactly this sort of multi-year trend persistence which showcases the often times unpredictable nature of cycles, even when we all know that returns should revert to mean over time.

Keep this adage in mind: The market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.

Happy holidays!

Follow me on @SBojinov

» Popular Pages

  • Tickers
  • Articles

Jan 26

Despite GDP Growth, Recession Fears Still Linger

Jan 26

Commodities Have Their Say as Bonds Soar

Jan 26

Diversify Portfolios by Challenging Home Country Bias

Jan 26

Look to Equal-Weight RYT for Seagate Exposure

Jan 26

ETF of the Week: SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Jan 26

Use USNZ To Help Meet Paris Agreement Goals

Jan 26

China Reopening Foregrounds Commodities

Jan 26

Don’t Ignore MUSI, a Current Income ETF

Jan 26

Join the Finance Community to Support These Non-Profits at Exchange

Jan 26

Don’t Miss Out: KARS Is on the Rise

QQQ

Invesco QQQ Trust

SPY

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

VOO

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

VGT

Vanguard Information...

SMH

VanEck Semiconductor ETF

XLK

Technology Select Sector SPDR...

VTI

Vanguard Total Stock Market...

SOXX

iShares Semiconductor ETF

BLOK

Amplify Transformational Data...

META

Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF


Content continues below advertisement

Loading Articles...
Help & Info
  • Contact Us
Tools
  • ETF Screener
  • ETF Analyzer
  • Mutual Fund to ETF Converter
  • Head-To-Head ETF Comparison
  • ETF Country Exposure Tool
  • ETF Stock Exposure Tool
  • ETF Performance Visualizer
  • ETF Database Model Portfolios
  • ETF Database Realtime Ratings
  • ETF Database Pro
More Tools
  • ETF Launch Center
  • Financial Advisor & RIA Center
  • ETF Database RSS Feed
Explore ETFs
  • ETF News
  • ETF Picks of the Month
  • ETF Category Reports
  • Premium Articles
  • Alphabetical Listing of ETFs
  • Best ETFs
  • Browse ETFs by ETF Database Category
  • Browse ETFs by Index
  • Browse ETFs by Issuer
  • Compare ETFs
Legal
  • Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
  • © 2023 VettaFi LLC. All rights reserved.
Follow ETF Database
Follow ETF Database

Advertisement

Is Your Portfolio Positioned With Enough Global Exposure?

ETF Education Channel

How to Allocate Commodities in Portfolios

Tom LydonApr 26, 2022
2022-04-26

A long-running debate in asset allocation circles is how much of a portfolio an investor should...

Core Strategies Channel

Why ETFs Experience Limit Up/Down Protections

Karrie GordonMay 13, 2022
2022-05-13

In a digital age where information moves in milliseconds and millions of participants can transact...

}
X