Geopolitics has once again tripped up equity markets. After the USA and Israel had combined to launch an attack on Iran at the end of February, nervousness on stock markets climbed rapidly. The oil price shock in particular raised fears that the global economy could grind to a halt. As well as macroeconomic forecasts, the sharp rise in energy prices also overturned monetary policy scenarios. This applies also and especially for the USA. Until the start of the war in the Middle East, markets had firmly expected further cuts in interest rates by the Fed. Now, though, they assume that the US central bank will hold fire until at least the end of the year. In Europe, growing inflationary pressure could even pave the way for rates to rise.
There are sectors that have been largely unaffected by the current situation. Over the last few weeks, shares of companies involved in the renewable energy industry have seen particular demand. And for good reason: wind, solar and hydro power enables countries which do not have any fossil fuels of their own to reduce their dependency on them. That is not to mention the importance of renewables for decarbonisation and the fight against climate change. The Swissquote Green Energy Index brings together 23 green power specialists. To be considered for inclusion in this benchmark, shares must first meet certain trading criteria. Alongside a market capitalisation of USDmn 100, these include an average daily trading volume of around CHF 100,000. In the next step, the Swissquote experts select those companies which have the greatest possible correlation with renewable energies.
One of the key segments in the Swissquote Green Energy Index is wind power. It includes on the one hand turbine manufacturers Vestas Wind Systems, Nordex, GE Vernova and Goldwind. They are joined by Orsted, the world’s biggest project planner and operator of offshore wind farms. The Danish group is looking to strengthen its balance sheet. To that end, at the start of February Orsted announced the sale of its European onshore wind farm business for EURbn 1.44. Utilities likewise play a major role in the Swissquote Green Energy Index. Also making it through the selection process to join European electricity providers such as Verbund, Fortum, Iberdrola and Enel is NextEra Energy, the largest power supply and energy infrastructure company in North America. The Florida-based group operates a large number of wind and solar power stations as well as battery storage systems.
The Migros Bank Clean Energy Index has also been moving literally energetically of late, with this themed selection increasing by 15% in the first quarter of 2026. Launched a good five years ago, the index follows an approach that is broadly comparable to that of its Swissquote counterpart. From a quantitative standpoint, however, the experts at Migros Bank are setting the bar rather higher: it only considers shares with a market capitalisation of at least USDmn 500. The Migros Bank Clean Energy Index has recently profited from a company going private, the Canadian Boralex having reached agreement with two financial investors regarding a sale and delisting from the stock exchange. The share price of the green electricity producer, which is active in North America and Europe, had already risen ahead of this news, posting a rise of 45% since the turn of the year. The Migros Bank barometer lives up to the “Clean Energy” part of its name in more ways than just the generation of electricity: also among its members is Severn Trent, a specialist water utility and sewage treatment operator. Every single day the British company supplies a total of 2 billion litres of drinking water to 4.6 million customers. Severn Trent also uses its sites to generate electricity from solar panels, wind turbines and biogas facilities. This mix is going down well on the stock market: the share price of Severn Trent, a FTSE 100 member, is trading at a record high.
Tracker certificates from Leonteq give investors a simple way of bringing the two indices into their portfolio, giving them the opportunity of a diversified, flexible and cost-effective investment in the full spectrum of renewable and clean energy sources.
Management fee: 1.00% p.a.
Index Sponsor: Migros Bank AG
Issuer: Leonteq Securities AG
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