Products September 28, 2010

FTSE Unveils Diversification Index Series

FTSE Group and QS Investors, LLC, an independent investment firm, have launched the FTSE Diversification Based Investing (DBI) Index Series.

Reported by

PLANADVISER staff

According to a news release, the indexes are alternatively weighted to promote diversification across countries and industry sectors. They seek higher absolute and risk-adjusted returns compared to market cap-weighted indexes with less downside risk.

The FTSE DBI Index Series is made up of three indexes, including:

FTSE DBI Developed Index
FTSE DBI Developed ex US Index
FTSE DBI Developed ex Japan Index

The FTSE Group statement says the investment philosophy behind the FTSE DBI Index Series is that both geography and industry are the primary drivers of global equity risk and return. Market sentiment can lead to momentum effects, causing concentration risk in market-cap weighted indexes, the news release said. A diversified portfolio helps to avoid this concentration risk and decreases downside risk.