Is Ray Dalio’s All-Weather ETF Appropriate for a Long Summer?

Core Viewpoint - The risk-parity fund category, particularly the SPDR Bridgewater All Weather ETF, is gaining attention as it offers a diversified investment strategy that may appeal to investors concerned about market volatility, despite its recent underperformance compared to benchmarks [2][4]. Group 1: Market Context - The stock market has experienced a prolonged "summer" phase, making it challenging for specialty funds like risk-parity funds to attract interest since the 2008 financial crisis [2]. - The SPDR Bridgewater All Weather ETF (ALLW) launched in March and has quickly amassed $406 million in assets, indicating strong initial interest [4]. Group 2: Performance Metrics - The ALLW ETF has returned 6.9%, which is significantly lower than its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI IMI, which has returned over 12% [4]. - Other risk-parity ETFs have shown varying performance, with the RPAR Risk Parity ETF returning over 10% this year, the UPAR Ultra Risk Parity ETF returning 14%, and the PMV Adaptive Risk Parity ETF returning 8% [5]. Group 3: Investment Strategy - The goal of a risk-parity portfolio is to provide a long-term investment solution rather than directly competing with the S&P 500 [5]. - Risk-parity funds have historically performed well during market downturns, such as the Covid-19 recession and the stock market decline in 2022, making them attractive to risk-averse investors [4].