Cathy Clay, CEO of S&P Dow Jones Indices, and Lynn Martin, President of the NYSE Group, recently met on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange to discuss how the S&P 500 connects America’s past, present and future
Drawing on the index’s nearly 70-year legacy, they examine what has made the benchmark so iconic—its role in helping Americans participate in the economy, the enduring strength of the NYSE Group and S&P Dow Jones Indices partnership, and the way it continues to serve as a trusted compass for today’s markets.
[TRANSCRIPT]
Cathy Clay:
I’m here on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange with the President of the NYSE Group, Lynn Martin. We’re here to discuss things that are happening in the market and, of course, America’s benchmark, the S&P 500. Lynn, let me ask you a question. We’re celebrating a lot of milestones recently. We’ve just finished the 250th anniversary of our country. The Dow Jones Industrial Average turned 130 this year, if you can believe it. And, next year, the S&P 500 will turn 70. You also recently just came from the Oval Office where you were part of the announcement for the launch of the Trump Accounts. And, I’m interested to hear, how do you think about the S&P 500 as really that iconic America benchmark and its importance in America’s economic story.
Lynn Martin:
Well, Cathy, first and foremost, welcome home to the New York Stock Exchange. It’s so much fun to be with you. To answer your question, we just turned 234 years old.
Cathy Clay:
Oh my gosh. That makes us feel very young, doesn’t it? In the context of all of these birthdays.
Lynn Martin:
Agree, it makes us feel very, very young. But, to your question on the Trump Accounts, I don’t think it’s a mistake that the default contributions will go into funds that are benchmarked against the S&P 500. And, when you think about, and I talk to a lot of CEOs who have that aspiration of being one of the constituents of the S&P 500. You think about one of the greatest inventions of our generation, and that has really been the ETF industry. It has transformed the way people invest. I think it is no coincidence that alongside the ETF boom, so to speak, you have more and more households talking about investing just as part of their normal conversations around the dinner table. And, that’s because of the amazing work that you do at S&P Dow Jones Indices to properly curate the constituents, to think about what the weightings need to be, the broad-based exposure to American innovation.
Cathy Clay:
Well, we couldn’t do it alone, could we? I mean we create the index, but of course, we have to have great companies like the NYSE Group to list these companies and support their evolution and their growth in the capital markets. But, I love the Trump Accounts. I love that you were there for that announcement. I mean there really is this need to broaden the participation for the American households and getting them better access to the capital markets. And, I think this will be a great step in that. How are you viewing that development?
Lynn Martin:
In my mind, it’s also a great unifier for the country and this newest generation. When I think about it, it’s really two factors. Number one, financial literacy. I know that’s an area that you and I both think a lot about. How do we properly educate the investors, not just of today, but the investors of tomorrow. And, I think the advent of the Trump Accounts is a great way to do that. And, number two is, when I bring companies public, when I’m talking to CEOs, one of the reasons they go public is to really unite employees and reward employees for that innovation. They do that with stock very frequently. So, having the newest generation of Americans have effectively stock in America as a result of the contributions to the ETFs that underpin those accounts, to me, that’s such a unifying moment for America. And, we couldn’t do it if we didn’t have the broad market participation. Being in the Oval Office with the president, he was talking to the kids about Boeing, about McDonald’s.
Cathy Clay:
They’re going to know that stock.
Lynn Martin:
Absolutely. He said, go into a McDonald’s and say, I own a piece of you. And, the kids' faces lit up. It is something that truly resonated with the youth of America, and that’s because of the constituents that you put into your index. How do you think about curating that index and ensuring that it has the broadest participation and representation of American innovation?
Cathy Clay:
Well, I think the diversification is really key for how The 500 became America’s benchmark. When you think about this broad diversification, that really is representative of the U.S. economic output. 80% of the market capitalization of U.S.-listed companies are reflected in the S&P 500. And, not only that, the diversity extends to 11 different sectors. So, I think we’re really capturing the enormity of the U.S. capital markets in this one index. And, so I think that is why it has become so preferable for not just ETFs, it was mutual funds before that, it’s all sorts of wrappers now that not just Americans, but global investors really align the S&P 500 with America’s markets.
Lynn Martin:
And, when people think of the S&P 500, a lot of times, they think of ETFs. But, there’s also the active managers who I know are a big constituent base for you to work with on the data side and the benchmarking side of the business.
Cathy Clay:
You’re absolutely right. There is the passive investing side, which is the 700-pound gorilla in the room for the S&P 500, but you’re absolutely right. There’s a lot of active managers who reference the S&P 500 in some of their active strategies. And, one of the big developments recently in the ETF landscape, as you know, are these buffer protect strategies where the ETF issuer is embedding some sort of protections on both the upside and the downside of the S&P 500. So, there is a flavor, I think, for everyone to participate in this amazing ecosystem, which truly is a unique ecosystem.
Lynn Martin:
And, that’s such a great innovation, that product in particular, particularly when you consider where people are in their investing strategy, be it are they at the early part of their wealth accumulation or are they retirees who just want to lock in a return and deliver that return through their golden years.
Cathy Clay:
Yes, it’s flexible. It’s reliable. It’s a trusted benchmark. We’ll turn 70, as I mentioned earlier. So, I think it’s something that people innovate around, but they count on The 500 to be that bedrock, that foundational element within their portfolios.
Lynn Martin:
We’re looking forward to celebrating your 70th anniversary.
Cathy Clay:
We’re going to have to do that right.
Lynn Martin:
We absolutely are. We like the number 70 also since 70% of the constituents in the S&P 500 are proud to call NYSE their listing venue.