Weekly Reputation Index Metrics

The RepuStars® Variety Corporate Reputation Index calculated by Dow Jones Indexes launched into widespread distribution on November 1, 2011. Previously calculated on a proprietary basis and available only on the Mission Intangible blog of the Society, it is the first-ever composite equity index based on a quantitative strategy exploiting discrepancies between Steel City Re corporate reputation metrics and share price. The RepuStars Variety Index has two versions: a total returns index and a price index, whose ticker symbols are, respectively, REPUVART and REPUVAR.  Click here for real time quotes.

Analysis

Reputational value is usually embedded in equity value. Exceptions are two-fold and are both event driven. One exception is when stakeholders much closer to the firm, appreciate and value the benefits of the intangible assets that give rise to reputation before equity investors, who tend to rely on backward-looking corporate financial reports. Another exception is when equity investors, acting on macroeconomic events and losing their appetite for risk, are unable to incorporate intangible asset features that typically differentiate one firm from another.

The past few months comprised a time period in which the latter exception dominated. As  equity markets rediscover their appetite for risk,  companies comprising the recently reconstituted RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index are beginning to realize their previously undiscovered reputational value.

The relative growth of RepuStars these past few weeks can not be attributed only to additional reputational value. The S&P500 stocks, as a group, are under  pressure as a result of profit taking after their strong week-on-week showing lately.

This is not to minimize the additional 2.5% equity returns being realized by the constituents of the RepuStars Index. The average annual additional equity value associated with discovery of an enhanced reputation is around 6.5% -- a value that closely mirrors the average 7% loss in value associated with an adverse reputational event.

Side Note: At the close of markets 20 January, the RepuStars Variety Composite Index underwent its annual rebalance and reconstitution. Companies that on the basis of their the Steel City Re Corporate Reputation Index metrics are believed to have the greatest value growth opportunity for the coming year replaced those companies that have already either realized or missed that opportunity. A description of the 2012 portfolio constituents and the rules of the algorithmic RepuStars selection process can be downloaded from the Steel City Re website.

Weekly Update

At the close of trading 27-Jan-12, REPUVART and REPUVAR stood at 2669.97 and 2323.18 respectively. Over the past four weeks, the former has changed by 7.09%, while the latter has changed by 7.09%. The benchmark S&P500 Composite Index stood at 1146.55 (31 Dec 2001=1000) and has changed over the past four weeks by 4.67%.

Over the trailing twelve months, REPUVART and REPUVAR have, respectively, changed by 4.66% and 3.33% respectively; the S&P500 Composite Index has changed by 3.13%. Since January 2009, the REPUVART and REPUVAR have changed by 113.37% and 102.29% respectively; the S&P 500 Composite Index has changed by 41.27%. Other interval changes in the magnitude of the indices are shown below.

Background

The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index is the first index based on a quantitative model for analysts, investors, and company managers to determine the actual impact of reputation on corporate equity prices. The companies selected for the RepuStars Variety Index are chosen algorithmically to capture the disparity between value at which a company is currently trading and its value as calculated by Steel City Re’s reputational metrics.

The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index tracks up to 57 company stocks that appear to be underpriced relative to their metrics as measured by Steel City Re’s proprietary Corporate Reputation Index™, which tracks 5500 companies weekly. In using the RepuStars Index as an investment strategy, investors can take advantage of this price disparity. The principles behind Steel City Re's reputation metrics are discussed in the book, Mission:Intangible (see below).

The RepuStars indices are reconstituted annually in the first week of January. The Indices were last reconstituted 20 Jan 2012.  Click here for additional information on the index.

Reputation, Risk and Finance

Reputation management through superior control of a company's intangible assets may be one of the best paths to value creation today. If it is not on your agenda, perhaps it should be. Here are several things you can do right now to start creating value for your organization:

1. Become better informed. Participate in our regular Mission Intangible Monthly Briefings held on the first Friday of every month or read the book, Mission: Intangible. Managing risk and reputation to create enterprise value, available at the IAFS Store, specialty finance sector retailers, or other leading online book retailers. 
2. Become a member of the Intangible Asset Finance Society and engage.
3. Join our community on Linked-In and stay in the information flow.

Notices

STEEL CITY RE and REPUSTARS are registered trademarks of C. Huygens & Co. LLC and are used under license. Investment products based on the RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC, or their respective affiliates and none of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC and their respective affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. Inclusion of a company in any of the indexes in this piece does not in any way reflect an opinion of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC or any of their respective affiliates on the investment merits of such company. None of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC or any of their respective affiliates is providing investment advice in connection with these indexes. The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are calculated by Dow Jones Indexes, the marketing name and the licensed trademark of CME Index Services, LLC. (CME Indexes). Dow Jones Indexes is a service mark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. (Dow Jones). Investment products based on the RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by CME Indexes, Dow Jones or their respective affiliates, and CME Indexes, Dow Jones and their respective affiliates make no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s).

In introductory remarks for the release of the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer results, Richard Edelman provided background for the pan-institutional deterioration of trust. “In 2008-2009, in the wake of a recession that saw large, global companies such as Lehman Brothers and AIG collapse, trust in business imploded. Government stepped in with bailouts and new regulations. But in 2011, government became paralyzed by the politics of extremism and endless haggling – and the public lost confidence.”

Gideon Rachman, writing for the Financial Times, calls it the age of indignation. “This was a year of global indignation, from the Occupy Wall Street movement to the Moscow election protests and China’s village revolts. It was popular protests on either side of the Mediterranean – in Tahrir Square in Cairo and Syntagma Square in Athens – that set the tone for 2011.” Social networks linked by social media are now the sources of trust and media of choice.

Ever alert, the Willy Suttons of the world are  working these trusted environments. This week’s Economist () introduces the notion of ‘affinity fraud.’ “The term refers to scams in which the perpetrator uses personal contacts to swindle a specific group, such as a church congregation, a rotary club, a professional circle or an ethnic community. Once the scammer gains their trust, his scam spreads like smallpox. Most affinity frauds are Ponzi schemes, in which money from new investors is used to repay old ones, or is siphoned off by the promoters.’ Here’s the rub. According to the Economist, “Mistrust of mainstream finance helps the scammers. The big guys on Wall Street have shown they can’t be trusted, they say; better to go with someone you know.”

Out of the pan and into the fire?

Weekly Reputation Index Metrics

The RepuStars® Variety Corporate Reputation Index calculated by Dow Jones Indexes launched into widespread distribution on November 1, 2011. Previously calculated on a proprietary basis and available only on the Mission Intangible blog of the Society, it is the first-ever composite equity index based on a quantitative strategy exploiting discrepancies between Steel City Re corporate reputation metrics and share price. The RepuStars Variety Index has two versions: a total returns index and a price index, whose ticker symbols are, respectively, REPUVART and REPUVAR.  Click here for real time quotes.

Analysis

An appetite for risk is returning. Economic data and corporate profit reports are positive, the euro crisis seems to be stabilizing, and the tensions in the mid-east are diffusing. Treasuries have had a bad start to the year, and RepuStars Variety has outperformed the S&P500 over the same period.

RepuStars Variety is a quantitative arbitrage strategy that assumes equity investors will discover what other stakeholders already know about a company’s prospects. In a more risk tolerant environment, it appears, equity investors are indicating a willingness to discover.

Side Note: At the close of markets 20 January, the RepuStars Variety Composite Index will undergo its annual rebalance and reconstitution. Companies where the Steel City Re Corporate Reputation Index metrics suggest the greatest arbitrage opportunity for the coming year will replace those companies that have already realized that opportunity. This year, three companies will carry forward from the 2011 portfolio to the 2012 portfolio.

Weekly Update

At the close of trading 20120120, REPUVART and REPUVAR stood at 2588.33 and 2252.15 respectively. Over the past four weeks, the former has changed by 2.06%, while the latter has changed by 2.04%. The benchmark S&P500 Composite Index stood at 1145.72 (31 Dec 2001=1000) and has changed over the past four weeks by 3.96%.

Over the trailing twelve months, REPUVART and REPUVAR have, respectively, changed by 1.22% and -0.08% respectively; the S&P500 Composite Index has changed by 2.50%. Since January 2009, the REPUVART and REPUVAR have changed by 106.85% and 96.10% respectively; the S&P 500 Composite Index has changed by 41.17%. Other interval changes in the magnitude of the indices are shown below.

Background

The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index is the first index based on a quantitative model for analysts, investors, and company managers to determine the actual impact of reputation on corporate equity prices. The companies selected for the RepuStars Variety Index are chosen algorithmically to capture the disparity between value at which a company is currently trading and its value as calculated by Steel City Re’s reputational metrics.

The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index tracks up to 57 company stocks that appear to be underpriced relative to their metrics as measured by Steel City Re’s proprietary Corporate Reputation Index™, which tracks 5500 companies weekly. In using the RepuStars Index as an investment strategy, investors can take advantage of this price disparity. The principles behind Steel City Re's reputation metrics are discussed in the book, Mission:Intangible (see below).

The RepuStars indices are reconstituted annually in the first week of January. The Indices were last reconstituted 6 Jan 2011.  Click here for additional information on the index.

Reputation, Risk and Finance

Reputation management through superior control of a company's intangible assets may be one of the best paths to value creation today. If it is not on your agenda, perhaps it should be. Here are several things you can do right now to start creating value for your organization:

1. Become better informed. Participate in our regular Mission Intangible Monthly Briefings held on the first Friday of every month or read the book, Mission: Intangible. Managing risk and reputation to create enterprise value, available at the IAFS Store, specialty finance sector retailers, or other leading online book retailers. 
2. Become a member of the Intangible Asset Finance Society and engage.
3. Join our community on Linked-In and stay in the information flow.

Notices

STEEL CITY RE and REPUSTARS are registered trademarks of C. Huygens & Co. LLC and are used under license. Investment products based on the RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC, or their respective affiliates and none of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC and their respective affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. Inclusion of a company in any of the indexes in this piece does not in any way reflect an opinion of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC or any of their respective affiliates on the investment merits of such company. None of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC or any of their respective affiliates is providing investment advice in connection with these indexes. The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are calculated by Dow Jones Indexes, the marketing name and the licensed trademark of CME Index Services, LLC. (CME Indexes). Dow Jones Indexes is a service mark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. (Dow Jones). Investment products based on the RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by CME Indexes, Dow Jones or their respective affiliates, and CME Indexes, Dow Jones and their respective affiliates make no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s).

Francesco Schettino, captain of Costa Concordia, the Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) ship that ran aground last week, is the latest rogue to abuse his station of authority and damage the reputation of his parent firm by triggering a business process control failure. Micky Arison, chief executive of Carnival Corporation, admitted that the Costa Concordia’s grounding and capsizing had “called into question” the company’s safety and emergency response procedures and practices.

The Steel City Re Corporate Reputation Index metrics for Carnival Corp dropped from the 81st percentile among nearly 7000 firms measured, to the 43rd, and from the 39th percentile among the S&P500 constituent members to the 8th. It also lost nearly $3B in enterprise value, or about 10% of its market capitalization. This is more than the median cost of a major reputational event which is 7% of market cap according to Steel City Re's research.

As the post mortem examination is already disclosing, Captain Schettino’s deviation from the approved navigational plan was not the first. Deviations in processes that result in operational disasters and reputational losses are rarely one-offs. Rather, as investigators are now finding, prior deviations were not observed, or if observed, did not trigger processes to mitigate future deviations. And that is but one of many lessons for operational executives who may have been lulled into thinking that rogues only reside on Wall Street.

Weekly Reputation Index Metrics

The RepuStars® Variety Corporate Reputation Index calculated by Dow Jones Indexes launched into widespread distribution on November 1, 2011. Previously calculated on a proprietary basis and available only on the Mission Intangible blog of the Society, it is the first-ever composite equity index based on a quantitative strategy exploiting discrepancies between Steel City Re corporate reputation metrics and share price. The RepuStars Variety Index has two versions: a total returns index and a price index, whose ticker symbols are, respectively, REPUVART and REPUVAR.  Click here for real time quotes.

Analysis

The equity returns pattern continue to show a flight to quality and overall loss of risk appetite. According to Bloomberg, U.S. stock mutual funds that invested in domestic equities had their second-biggest redemptions last year as record market swings sent investors to the perceived safety of bond funds.

Investors pulled an estimated $132 billion from mutual funds that invest in U.S. stocks, the fifth straight year of withdrawals for domestic funds.

“Investors just can’t bear the pain, which sets the stages for an unwillingness to take risk,” said Christopher Blum, chief investment officer for behavioral finance at JPMorgan Asset Management in New York.

RepuStars Variety is a quantitative arbitrage strategy that assumes equity investors will discover what other stakeholders already know about a company’s prospects. In a risk averse environment, it appears, equity investors are less keen to discover.

Weekly Update

At the close of trading Jan 13, 2012, REPUVART and REPUVAR stood at 2545.90 and 2215.22 respectively. Over the past four weeks, the former has changed by 3.92%, while the latter has changed by 3.86%. The benchmark S&P500 Composite Index stood at 1122.82 (31 Dec 2001=1000) and has changed over the past four weeks by 5.69%.

Over the trailing twelve months, REPUVART and REPUVAR have, respectively, changed by -1.74% and -3.01% respectively; the S&P500 Composite Index has changed by -0.32%. Since January 2009, the REPUVART and REPUVAR have changed by 103.46% and 92.89% respectively; the S&P 500 Composite Index has changed by 38.34%. Other interval changes in the magnitude of the indices are shown below.

Background

The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index is the first index based on a quantitative model for analysts, investors, and company managers to determine the actual impact of reputation on corporate equity prices. The companies selected for the RepuStars Variety Index are chosen algorithmically to capture the disparity between value at which a company is currently trading and its value as calculated by Steel City Re’s reputational metrics.

The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index tracks up to 57 company stocks that appear to be underpriced relative to their metrics as measured by Steel City Re’s proprietary Corporate Reputation Index™, which tracks 5500 companies weekly. In using the RepuStars Index as an investment strategy, investors can take advantage of this price disparity. The principles behind Steel City Re's reputation metrics are discussed in the book, Mission:Intangible (see below).

The RepuStars indices are reconstituted annually in the first week of January. The Indices were last reconstituted 6 Jan 2011.  Click here for additional information on the index.

Reputation, Risk and Finance

Reputation management through superior control of a company's intangible assets may be one of the best paths to value creation today. If it is not on your agenda, perhaps it should be. Here are several things you can do right now to start creating value for your organization:

1. Become better informed. Participate in our regular Mission Intangible Monthly Briefings held on the first Friday of every month or read the book, Mission: Intangible. Managing risk and reputation to create enterprise value, available at the IAFS Store, specialty finance sector retailers, or other leading online book retailers. 
2. Become a member of the Intangible Asset Finance Society and engage.
3. Join our community on Linked-In and stay in the information flow.

Notices

STEEL CITY RE and REPUSTARS are registered trademarks of C. Huygens & Co. LLC and are used under license. Investment products based on the RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC, or their respective affiliates and none of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC and their respective affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. Inclusion of a company in any of the indexes in this piece does not in any way reflect an opinion of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC or any of their respective affiliates on the investment merits of such company. None of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC or any of their respective affiliates is providing investment advice in connection with these indexes. The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are calculated by Dow Jones Indexes, the marketing name and the licensed trademark of CME Index Services, LLC. (CME Indexes). Dow Jones Indexes is a service mark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. (Dow Jones). Investment products based on the RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by CME Indexes, Dow Jones or their respective affiliates, and CME Indexes, Dow Jones and their respective affiliates make no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s).

What''s the buzz, tell me what's happening. The Business Insider, as reported on Yahoo Finance, reported yesterday the results of You Gov Brand Index's survey of brand preferences. From among the 2.5 million members of YouGov's database that are sampled continuously online, the winner for 2011 is Subway.

The ten strongest brands are Subway, Amazon, History Channel, Google, Cheerios, Lowe's, Ford, Discovery Channel, Target, and last, Apple. Eight of these firms also have Steel City Re Corporate Reputation Index rankings, if you are willing to accept the rankings of General Mills as a proxy for Cheerios, and Discovery Communications Inc. for the Discovery Channel. Between these two groups of eight, there is a correlation of -14%.

With respect to reputational stability over the trailing twelve months of 2011, the YouGov rankings showed a correlation of 0.9%; the Steel City Re metrics showed a correlation of 82% - the higher ranked firms were reputationally stable. Turning to more financially relevant metrics, the YouGov rankings showed -7.3% correlation with change in enterprise value over 2011 -- the higher ranked firms (lower number) gained while the lower ranked firms (higher number) lost value. The Steel City Re metrics showed a stronger correlation of -76%.

The data suggest that consumer brand buzz is not, by itself, a good predictor of economic performance.

Weekly Reputation Index Metrics

The RepuStars® Variety Corporate Reputation Index calculated by Dow Jones Indexes launched into widespread distribution on November 1, 2011. Previously calculated on a proprietary basis and available only on the Mission Intangible blog of the Society, it is the first-ever composite equity index based on a quantitative strategy exploiting discrepancies between Steel City Re corporate reputation metrics and share price. The RepuStars Variety Index has two versions: a total returns index and a price index, whose ticker symbols are, respectively, REPUVART and REPUVAR.  Click here for real time quotes.

Analysis

In the second half of 2011, funds globally migrated to what are described as quality assets. Among bonds, US Treasuries are deemed so; among equities, the S&P500 composite index constituent members are similarly revered. Affirming this view are the results of an experimental one-year short equity index following the inverse strategy of RepuStars Variety. A flight to quality means a flight from somewhere else. The short strategy yielded a 43% return.

Weekly Update

At the close of trading Jan 6, 2012, REPUVART and REPUVAR stood at 2522.54 and 2194.90 respectively. Over the past four weeks, the former has changed by -2.05%, while the latter has changed by -2.14%. The benchmark S&P500 Composite Index stood at 1113.00 (31 Dec 2001=1000) and has changed over the past four weeks by 1.80%.

Over the trailing twelve months, REPUVART and REPUVAR have, respectively, changed by -1.06% and -2.43% respectively; the S&P500 Composite Index has changed by 0.50%. Since January 2009, the REPUVART and REPUVAR have changed by 101.59% and 91.12% respectively; the S&P 500 Composite Index has changed by 37.13%. Other interval changes in the magnitude of the indices are shown below.

Background

The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index is the first index based on a quantitative model for analysts, investors, and company managers to determine the actual impact of reputation on corporate equity prices. The companies selected for the RepuStars Variety Index are chosen algorithmically to capture the disparity between value at which a company is currently trading and its value as calculated by Steel City Re’s reputational metrics.

The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index tracks up to 57 company stocks that appear to be underpriced relative to their metrics as measured by Steel City Re’s proprietary Corporate Reputation Index™, which tracks 5500 companies weekly. In using the RepuStars Index as an investment strategy, investors can take advantage of this price disparity. The principles behind Steel City Re's reputation metrics are discussed in the book, Mission:Intangible (see below).

The RepuStars indices are reconstituted annually in the first week of January. The Indices were last reconstituted 6 Jan 2011.  Click here for additional information on the index.

Reputation, Risk and Finance

Reputation management through superior control of a company's intangible assets may be one of the best paths to value creation today. If it is not on your agenda, perhaps it should be. Here are several things you can do right now to start creating value for your organization:

1. Become better informed. Participate in our regular Mission Intangible Monthly Briefings held on the first Friday of every month or read the book, Mission: Intangible. Managing risk and reputation to create enterprise value, available at the IAFS Store, specialty finance sector retailers, or other leading online book retailers. 
2. Become a member of the Intangible Asset Finance Society and engage.
3. Join our community on Linked-In and stay in the information flow.

Notices

STEEL CITY RE and REPUSTARS are registered trademarks of C. Huygens & Co. LLC and are used under license. Investment products based on the RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC, or their respective affiliates and none of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC and their respective affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. Inclusion of a company in any of the indexes in this piece does not in any way reflect an opinion of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC or any of their respective affiliates on the investment merits of such company. None of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC or any of their respective affiliates is providing investment advice in connection with these indexes. The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are calculated by Dow Jones Indexes, the marketing name and the licensed trademark of CME Index Services, LLC. (CME Indexes). Dow Jones Indexes is a service mark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. (Dow Jones). Investment products based on the RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by CME Indexes, Dow Jones or their respective affiliates, and CME Indexes, Dow Jones and their respective affiliates make no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s).

Weekly Reputation Index Metrics

The RepuStars® Variety Corporate Reputation Index calculated by Dow Jones Indexes launched into widespread distribution on November 1, 2011. Previously calculated on a proprietary basis and available only on the Mission Intangible blog of the Society, it is the first-ever composite equity index based on a quantitative strategy exploiting discrepancies between Steel City Re corporate reputation metrics and share price. The RepuStars Variety Index has two versions: a total returns index and a price index, whose ticker symbols are, respectively, REPUVART and REPUVAR.

Click here for real time quotes.

At the close of trading Dec 30, 2011, REPUVART and REPUVAR stood at 2493.17 and 2169.34 respectively. Over the past four weeks, the former has changed by -3.20%, while the latter has changed by -3.30%. The benchmark S&P500 Composite Index stood at 1095.39 (31 Dec 2001=1000) and has changed over the past four weeks by 1.07%.

Over the trailing twelve months, REPUVART and REPUVAR have, respectively, changed by -2.63% and -4.00% respectively; the S&P500 Composite Index has changed by -0.00%. Since January 2009, the REPUVART and REPUVAR have changed by 99.24% and 88.89% respectively; the S&P 500 Composite Index has changed by 34.96%. Other interval changes in the magnitude of the indices are shown below.



The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index is the first index based on a quantitative model for analysts, investors, and company managers to determine the actual impact of reputation on corporate equity prices. The companies selected for the RepuStars Variety Index are chosen algorithmically to capture the disparity between value at which a company is currently trading and its value as calculated by Steel City Re’s reputational metrics.

The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Index tracks up to 57 company stocks that appear to be underpriced relative to their metrics as measured by Steel City Re’s proprietary Corporate Reputation Index™, which tracks 5500 companies weekly. In using the RepuStars Index as an investment strategy, investors can take advantage of this price disparity. The principles behind Steel City Re's reputation metrics are discussed in the book, Mission:Intangible (see below).

The RepuStars indices are reconstituted annually in the first week of January. The Indices were last reconstituted 6 Jan 2011.  Click here for additional information on the index.

Reputation, Risk and Finance

Reputation management through superior control of a company's intangible assets may be one of the best paths to value creation today. If it is not on your agenda, perhaps it should be. Here are several things you can do right now to start creating value for your organization:

1. Become better informed. Participate in our regular Mission Intangible Monthly Briefings held on the first Friday of every month or read the book, Mission: Intangible. Managing risk and reputation to create enterprise value, available at the IAFS Store, specialty finance sector retailers, or other leading online book retailers. 
2. Become a member of the Intangible Asset Finance Society and engage.
3. Join our community on Linked-In and stay in the information flow.

Notices

STEEL CITY RE and REPUSTARS are registered trademarks of C. Huygens & Co. LLC and are used under license. Investment products based on the RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC, or their respective affiliates and none of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC and their respective affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. Inclusion of a company in any of the indexes in this piece does not in any way reflect an opinion of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC or any of their respective affiliates on the investment merits of such company. None of Technology Option Capital, LLC, C. Huygens & Co, LLC, Steel City Re, LLC or any of their respective affiliates is providing investment advice in connection with these indexes. The RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are calculated by Dow Jones Indexes, the marketing name and the licensed trademark of CME Index Services, LLC. (CME Indexes). Dow Jones Indexes is a service mark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. (Dow Jones). Investment products based on the RepuStars Variety Corporate Reputation Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by CME Indexes, Dow Jones or their respective affiliates, and CME Indexes, Dow Jones and their respective affiliates make no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s).