A new index designed to serve as an investable benchmark covering the preferred share market across Canada and the United States was launched Thursday by index provider Standard & Poor’s.

The S&P/TSX North American Preferred Stock Index seeks to provide investors with the opportunity to achieve broad diversification and exposure to North American preferred stocks.

As preferred shares combine the characteristics of debt and common stocks, their returns have low correlations with common stock returns and with bond returns, making them good diversifiers, Standard & Poor’s explains.

While their expected volatility and returns lie between those of common stocks and bonds, their yields are typically higher than that of common stock, the bond market and the money market, the index provider notes.

“Preferred stocks are attractive to investors in today’s low interest rate environment, due to their higher yields,” says Steve Rive, managing director at S&P Indices. “The S&P/TSX North American Preferred Stock Index will provide investors with a diversified and broadly representative exposure to this important segment of the market.”

The S&P/TSX North American Preferred Stock Index is comprised of a 50% equal weighting in the S&P/TSX Preferred Share Index and S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index. The S&P/TSX Preferred Share Index is comprised of preferred stocks trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange that meet criteria relating to minimum size, liquidity, issuer rating, and exchange listing. The S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index measures the yield and price performance of preferred stocks in the U.S. equity universe by using a rules-driven methodology. It is comprised of preferred stocks issued by U.S. entities that meet a set of defined criteria.

IE