FOUR POINTS ADVISORS

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are two of the most popular stock market indices in the world. While both indices are comprised of publicly traded companies, they differ in terms of the types of companies they include and the weighting of those companies within the index.

The S&P 500 is an index of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the United States, covering about 80% of the total U.S. equity market. It includes a broad range of companies across various sectors, such as technology, healthcare, consumer goods, energy, and financials. The S&P 500 is generally considered a benchmark for the overall performance of the U.S. stock market.

The Nasdaq, on the other hand, is an index of more than 3,000 publicly traded companies, primarily focused on technology and growth-oriented companies. The Nasdaq includes companies from various sectors, but the majority of its components are technology companies.

Over the long term, both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have delivered strong returns to investors, although the Nasdaq has tended to outperform the S&P 500. For example, between January 2000 and December 2021, the Nasdaq returned an average annualized return of approximately 8.1%, compared to the S&P 500's average annualized return of approximately 5.5%.

One reason for the Nasdaq's outperformance is that many of the companies within the index are considered high-growth companies with a lot of potential for future earnings growth. These companies may have higher valuations and risk profiles compared to the more mature companies that make up the S&P 500, but they also have the potential for higher returns over the long term.

The annualized volatility of an index is a measure of how much its value fluctuates over time. It is calculated as the standard deviation of the index's returns over a specified period, usually a year. A higher annualized volatility indicates that an index is more volatile and carries more risk, while a lower annualized volatility indicates that an index is less volatile and carries less risk.

When it comes to the annualized volatility of the S&P 500 versus the Nasdaq, the Nasdaq tends to be more volatile than the S&P 500. For example, over the past 10 years (as of September 2021), the annualized volatility of the S&P 500 was around 14%, while the annualized volatility of the Nasdaq was around 20%. This means that the Nasdaq experienced greater fluctuations in value than the S&P 500.

There are several reasons why the Nasdaq tends to be more volatile than the S&P 500. Firstly, the Nasdaq is dominated by technology stocks, which are often subject to rapid changes in investor sentiment and can be more vulnerable to sudden price swings. Secondly, many of the companies listed on the Nasdaq are smaller, growth-oriented companies, which can be more sensitive to changes in market conditions and may have less established track records than the more mature companies in the S&P 500.

It's important to note that while the Nasdaq tends to be more volatile than the S&P 500, this does not necessarily mean that the Nasdaq is riskier or less attractive as an investment. Investors with a high risk tolerance may prefer the potential for higher returns that come with higher volatility, while investors with a lower risk tolerance may prefer the more stable returns of the S&P 500. Ultimately, the choice between the two indices will depend on an investor's individual investment goals and risk tolerance.