US Small Cap Low Volatility vs the S&P 500 (SMLV): is it outperforming?
Over the past month, SMLV has outperformed the S&P 500 by 1.4 points. Here is where that puts it in the sector rotation — updated daily.
Where SMLV sits on the rotation map
US Small Cap Low Volatility highlighted against the 11 broad S&P 500 sectors. Vertical: 1-month spread vs the S&P 500. Horizontal: the longer, time-shifted window — the methodology explains the math.
SMLV vs SPY: head-to-head returns
SMLV (us small cap low volatility) and SPY (the S&P 500) side by side over every window Zensei tracks. The spread is the difference — positive means SMLV won that window.
Data as of 2026-07-13 · computed from daily adjusted closes · how we measure
The read
US Small Cap Low Volatility (SMLV) has just turned the corner. Over the longer, time-shifted window it trailed the S&P 500 by 0.9 points, but over the past month it has moved clearly ahead of the market — a 1.4-point edge that puts it in the improving quadrant. Ranked by one-month spread, it currently stands #31 of the 115 groups Zensei tracks.
On the shorter tape, SMLV's momentum is mixed: the longer intraday trend is still positive, but the recent windows have gone flat. SMLV's relative-strength line is holding around its moving averages — the trend is intact but no longer extending. The longer trend remains healthier than the recent tape suggests — the kind of divergence worth rechecking in a week.
The exposure comes via SPDR SSGA US Small Cap Low Volatility Index ETF, whose 357 tracked holdings are led by HORACE MANN EDUCATORS CORP, n/a and CITY HOLDING CO. Weighted by portfolio, the fund's holdings trade at roughly 60.0× earnings and 3.4× sales. The thing to watch from here is confirmation: improving groups that hold a positive one-month spread long enough for the longer window to turn are the classic early-rotation entries — the ones that fail fall back quickly.
What's inside SMLV
Top 5 of 357 tracked holdings, by portfolio weight.
US Small Cap Low Volatility vs the market — common questions
Is us small cap low volatility outperforming the S&P 500?
Right now, yes: over the past month SMLV has outperformed the S&P 500 by 1.4 points. This page updates daily, so the answer reflects current market data rather than a dated article.
What is SMLV?
SMLV is SPDR SSGA US Small Cap Low Volatility Index ETF, the fund Zensei uses to measure the us small cap low volatility group against the S&P 500 benchmark (SPY).
Which stocks are in SMLV?
SMLV's largest tracked positions are HORACE MANN EDUCATORS CORP, n/a, CITY HOLDING CO, NORTHWESTERN ENERGY GROUP INC, AMERICAN STATES WATER CO — 357 holdings in total. The full list, with each stock measured against the group, is part of Zensei Premium.
What quadrant is us small cap low volatility in right now?
As of the latest daily data, us small cap low volatility is in the improving quadrant — behind the market over the longer window, but ahead over the past month. The quadrant rules are documented on the Zensei methodology page.
Related sectors
Track us small cap low volatility against the whole market
Zensei Edge maps 100+ sectors and themes against the S&P 500 — with the stocks inside each one, rotation history and alerts when leadership changes hands.