Equity Valuations May Call for Active Approach

Core Insights - The equity market in 2025 has been challenging, with expectations that 2026 will follow suit, yet there are still attractive investment opportunities available for informed investors [1] U.S. Equity Market - Valuations in the S&P 500 are high compared to historical standards, necessitating an understanding of the underlying causes to identify strong investment opportunities [2] - The "Magnificent Seven" companies have significantly contributed to the valuation increase, benefiting from trends in cloud computing and artificial intelligence [3] - Corporate profits have risen due to lower net interest expenses, and large-cap companies have effectively passed inflationary costs onto consumers [4] - The ability to sustain growth, defend margins, and maintain pricing power should be assessed at the company level as market conditions evolve [5] - The MFS Active Growth ETF (MFSG) targets high-quality U.S. companies with competitive advantages and pricing power, utilizing a bottom-up approach for active management [6] European Equity Market - European equity valuations are currently more attractive, driven by factors such as increased German fiscal spending and rate cuts from the European Central Bank [7] - European companies with a domestic revenue focus have shown strong performance, with the financial sector being a key driver, as banks remain profitable despite rate cuts and limited tariff exposure [8] - The MFS Active International ETF (MFSI) offers a diversified approach to international exposure, focusing on high-conviction portfolios with a quality tilt [9] - MFSI's strategy emphasizes stocks trading at discounts to their projected value, aiming for alpha generation through selective high-quality stock investments [10] - As of October 31, 2025, MFSI has allocated over 36.51% of its assets to European companies, with 11.60% specifically in the United Kingdom, allowing for a diversified investment in the European market [11]