Skip to Content
Trade options on Composer. Earn up to $200 in cash rebates!Get Started.T&Cs apply.
Symphonies
Factor Alpha
Today’s Change
—

A symphony is an automated trading strategy — Learn more about symphonies here

About

Monthly trend-and-factor rotation. If the market is in an uptrend, hold S&P 500 growth (IVW). Otherwise, own the three best recent performers among momentum, quality, deep value, small‑cap value, and low‑volatility ETFs. Equal‑weighted.
NutHow it works
Monthly steps: 1) Check SPY: if its price is above its 120‑day average (uptrend), hold IVW—S&P 500 growth stocks (often tech/consumer). 2) If not, buy the 3 best 21‑day performers from: MTUM (momentum), QUAL (quality), RPV (deep value), VBR (small‑cap value), USMV (low‑volatility). Equal-weight; repeat monthly.
CheckmarkValue prop
Out-of-sample annualized return ~23.8% vs S&P ~22.9%, with stronger risk-adjusted performance (Calmar ~1.27) and similar drawdowns (~18.8%). Growth tilt in uptrends, diversified factor rotation in downtrends; monthly rebalancing.

Loading backtest data...

Invest in this strategy
OOS Start Date
Nov 2, 2022
Trading Setting
Monthly
Type
Stocks
Category
Trend-following, factor rotation, etf, us equities, growth tilt, defensive tilt
Tickers in this symphonyThis symphony trades 7 assets in total
Ticker
Type
IVW
iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF
Stocks
MTUM
iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF
Stocks
QUAL
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF
Stocks
RPV
Invesco S&P 500 Pure Value ETF
Stocks
SPY
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
Stocks
USMV
iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF
Stocks
VBR
Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF
Stocks

FAQ

A Composer symphony is an automated trading strategy that executes trades based on parameters of your choice. Some symphonies are similar to holding one ETF in normal conditions and rotating to a different ETF when market conditions shift, for example a 5% drop in the S&P 500, while others use complex rules with dozens of triggers. However, complex doesn’t always mean better. A simple, well-structured symphony can be just as effective as an intricate one. Learn more about how symphonies work here.

"Factor Alpha" is currently performing the same as yesterday today. Performance updates in real time during market hours.

"Factor Alpha" is currently allocated toIVW. Holdings automatically adjust as market conditions change based on the strategy's rules.

Year-to-date, "Factor Alpha" has returned 23.85%. You can adjust the performance chart above to view returns across different time horizons.

The maximum drawdown for "Factor Alpha" is 18.84%. The maximum drawdown measures the largest peak-to-trough decline. It's an important metric to evaluate risk and the strategy's behavior during market stress.

To invest in "Factor Alpha", simply click the Invest button on this page. You'll need to open an account with Composer if you don't have one yet, then you can start investing. Composer will automatically execute the trades for you based on the strategy's rules. Composer also supports trading individual stocks, ETFs, crypto, and options.