In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbours. Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later s...
In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbours. Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later stressed that there was no ceasefire between them. In a video statement, he said Israel will keep...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades held its 10th day of evidential hearings on Friday. The Fire Services Department’s handling of shutdown notices for the fire safety systems of the devastated Tai Po housing ...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades held its 10th day of evidential hearings on Friday. The Fire Services Department’s handling of shutdown notices for the fire safety systems of the devastated Tai Po housing estate where 168 people lost their lives in November is expected to be the focus of the...
Richard Drury/DigitalVision via Getty Images The FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index ETF ( QLC ) follows a multi-factor investment approach with a clear bias toward profitability and disciplined valuation. While its sector exposure has been close to a neutral sector mix since my last review of this fund nearly one year ago, its stock selection has also remained anchored by players, such as big t...
Richard Drury/DigitalVision via Getty Images The FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index ETF ( QLC ) follows a multi-factor investment approach with a clear bias toward profitability and disciplined valuation. While its sector exposure has been close to a neutral sector mix since my last review of this fund nearly one year ago, its stock selection has also remained anchored by players, such as big tech and large financial institutions. In the context of a mixed but still constructive macroeconomic environment, QLC has gained increased appeal for investors looking for selective exposure to the stock market. The coming sections will detail the fund’s core holdings and compare its sector mix, valuation, and performance with the broader market and other multi-factor ETFs. ETF Description & Highlights QLC is designed to offer exposure to U.S. companies with a combination of better-than-average quality, value, and momentum characteristics. The fund follows a rules-based methodology, tracking the Northern Trust Quality Large Cap Index, which employs an investment process that starts with an initial universe of the 600 largest U.S. companies. From there, each company is measured by a multi-factor model that scores them based on quality metrics (profitability and balance sheet strength), valuation indicators, including their value relative to historical averages and peers, and price momentum. Then, stocks are selected and weighted in the index through an optimization phase that aims to maximize the multi-factor exposure while limiting risk based on individual stocks and sector weights, as well as beta and turnover constraints. The index is rebalanced on a quarterly basis to reflect current market conditions. As of March 27, 2026, QLC had $775 million in assets under management, invested in a portfolio of 175 companies, with an average market capitalization of $316.2 billion. The fund remains concentrated in the upper end of the U.S. equity market, with mega caps accounting for...