The Riskalyze Report: Advisors Tiptoe Into 2016

1. PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility (SPLV)
2. General Electric (GE)
3. Lord Abbett Short Duration Income (LALDX)

Losers (advisor flows FROM these investments increased substantially):

1. Starbucks (SBUX)
2. Global Real Estate (RWO)
3. WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity (HEDJ)

Josh here – Makes sense. The sickening slide into the end of 2015 and the volatility at the beginning of 2016 were sure to curtail advisor risk appetites as is pretty much always the case. But investment dollars still need to be allocated. That’s why it is unsurprising to see low-volatility funds at the top of the menu, along with short-duration income (or what the industry would call a “cash-plus” fund).

Says Mike McDaniel, CIO of Riskalyze, there was an over 10% increase in advisor use of SPLV week-over-week and USMV (MSCI’s “minimum volatility” ETF) was also in the top 10 winners.  

Additionally, there was “at least a 10% reduction week-over-week, in advisor use for each of the top 3 losers,” Mike tells me. WisdomTree’s hedged Europe product was the belle of the ball last year, so perhaps some trimming among advisors who are rebalancing for the new year.