Category: Style Investing
Description:
This page tracks the relative performance of 2 stock market ETF's themes VTG (Value Line Growth) and VTV (Value Line Value). Each is based on a portfolio either growth or value stocks. The debate over the growth vs value rages on. Growth investors look at how fast a company is growing and project out a price based on those accelerating growth factors and attempt to find the next Apple, Google or Facebook. Value investors look at how a stock's price relates to several fundamental metrics and ratios (like price-to-earnings, price-to-book value, dividend payouts and share buybacks). Historical data points to a mixed picture with each outperforming the other during different extended periods but no one style working all of the time. Generally, when oil rises modestly, the global economy expands and interest rates move up slowly and this environment favors value stocks. Growth stocks tend to outperform value stocks during a financial crisis but not during a market selloff such as the internet bubble in 1999. Growth stocks have continued to significantly outperform value stocks since 2007.
How to Use:
This workspace uses a price chart with moving averages along with ratio and real motion (momentum) indicators to identify turning points and to confirm which of the these 2 indexes indexes are currently outperforming each other and most likely to persist.
Price Chart:
There are two daily charts of the VTV (value) and VUG (growth) index. Each with the 10 (magenta), 50 (blue) and 200 (green) day moving averages.
The two upper charts use both our real motion indicator and ratio charts (using the SPY as the benchmark) to determine the overall condition of both the Value and Growth Indexes.
How to Read and Use the Ratio Indicator:
Each ratio charts and has three outputs. The red line is the actual daily value of the ratio. For this analysis, the precise value of the ratio is not always important, rather we focus on how that value changes over time (trending up or trending down). The blue moving average represents a 6-month average of the ratio and the black line represent 4-week moving average of the ratio.
It is considered favorable for Value Stocks (VTV) versus Growth stocks (VTG) when the red line on the bottom chart (the daily value of the ratio) is over the black 20 day moving average.
We use the same concept for longer term readings and confirmation of the shorter term reading by looking at the ratio relative to its 6-month moving average. Absolute levels of the indicator can be utilized as support or resistance levels as well classic chart readings techniques which include slope and the use of trend lines.
How to Read and Use the Real Motion Indicator:
The Real Motion Indicator is a calculation of momentum that is unique and proprietary to MarketGauge. The indicator represents the current period's momentum value with a dot, the 50-period moving average of that momentum with the blue line, and the 200-period moving average with a green line. The horizontal black line is referred to as the "baseline" and is plotted at the zero value to delineate positive vs. negative momentum.
Real Motion can be used to analyze and identify a number of different patterns and conditions that help us measure the strength of the trend or key turning points, however, it can also be a very powerful indicator even when used at a basic level. The simple use and interpretation of Real Motion is to read it in the same way you would read and look for trend strength on a price chart. When the Real Motion 1-period (dot), 50-period and 200-period averages have the same pattern of stack and slope as the stock's respective price chart averages, then the momentum is in agreement with the price chart.
For example, when a stock price is over the 50-period moving average which is also over the 200-period moving average, Real Motion would "confirm" this trend as having good momentum if its 1-period value is over its 50-period average which is also over its 200-period average (both are positively stacked and sloped).
One powerful pattern to watch for is the condition where the Real Motion indicators are stronger (or weaker) than the price chart vis-a-via their respective measures. Momentum, as measured by Real Motion will often lead price action and can help identify good trades earlier than other indicators. For more advanced patterns and uses of the indicator, please see the real motion indicator product section.