Within the G11 General Industry Compass System, GICS Trending acts as a bridge between stable sector order and current market and topic perception. The perspective complements GICS Core with a timely, discussion-oriented view - without any claim to completeness, but with a clear focus on relevance. The associated portal pages bundle information on sectors that are characterized by above-average interest from investors and journalists. The decisive factor here is not short-term market movement, but the recognizable relevance of a sector in public discourse.
The Materials sector brings together companies that provide the physical raw materials from which economic activity is created in the first place. The focus is on raw materials, intermediate products and materials that are further processed and are at the beginning of numerous industrial, technological and consumer-related value chains. Materials is not an end market, but a foundation sector. The companies grouped here supply materials that are used in construction, industry, energy, technology, mobility, consumer goods and infrastructure. Their products are rarely visible to end customers, but are found almost everywhere. The Materials sector is characterized by its wide range of content. It ranges from basic, often raw material-related activities to highly specialized materials with clearly defined applications. The areas of application are correspondingly diverse: from structural building materials, metals and minerals to chemical products that are specifically tailored to certain industrial or technological requirements. What the companies in this sector have in common is their close connection to real production processes. Cost structures, energy use, transportation, economies of scale and regulatory framework conditions play a central role. At the same time, global demand cycles, geopolitical factors and technological developments have a direct impact on supply, pricing and investment decisions. Materials therefore plays a connecting role in the economic system. The sector is at the interface between natural resources, industrial processing and downstream industries. Changes in this area often have a time-delayed but profound impact on other sectors. Within GICS Eleven, Materials serves as a stable frame of reference for numerous specialized topics. It forms the content bracket for developments ranging from classic basic materials to highly developed material solutions - and thus creates the basis for further trend, micro and application perspectives.
The Industrials sector brings together companies that enable, organize and implement economic activity. The focus is not on products for end consumption, but on services, systems and services that enable other sectors to operate in the first place. Industrials is therefore an implementation and operating sector. The companies grouped here plan, build, produce, transport, maintain or control - often in the background, but with a direct impact on the efficiency, scaling and stability of economic processes. Without Industrials, value creation remains theory. The sector is characterized by its functional breadth. It ranges from the manufacture of complex machinery and equipment to construction and engineering services through to professional services, logistics and transportation solutions. In addition, there are activities that ensure order, safety and organization - both physically and operationally. What these companies have in common is their operational proximity to the real economy. Projects, investment cycles, capacity utilization, maintenance and reliability play a central role. Decisions are often long-term in nature, highly capital-intensive and closely linked to economic developments, infrastructure requirements and global supply chains. Industrials acts as a link between planning and implementation. The sector translates demand, technological development and social requirements into functioning systems - from production facilities and transportation routes to supporting services in daily operations. Within GICS Eleven, Industrials forms a supporting regulatory framework for numerous specialized topics. It spans the spectrum from classic industry to modern service and infrastructure solutions to highly specialized applications - and thus creates a stable basis for in-depth trend, technology and application perspectives.
The topics covered in GICS Trending do not follow a short-term market impulse, but arise from structural drivers that develop outside of classic price movements. Trends are understood here as consolidations of real economic, technological or social changes that are increasingly influencing capital markets, corporate strategies and public perception.
The underlying impulses vary:
GICS Trending picks up on these developments where they become visible, shape discussions and have a cross-sectoral impact. The perspective thus serves as a transition between a stable sector order and a focused detailed view - it shows why certain topics are gaining in importance even before their influence is differentiated on a small scale.