There was no change to the Franklin International Rotation Model this week.

International equities have seen a strong start to the year, and among the largest improvers in relative strength are Japanese equities. Within Asset Class Group Scores, the group had a score as low as 2.61 in January, but Japan now ranks 7th of 134 groups after significant improvement. Those looking to add Japanese equity exposure could look towards the Franklin FTSE Japan ETF (FLJP). FLJP has a fund score of 4.08, which is 0.17 points higher than the average non-US equity. The fund broke a double top at $29 in April to return to a buy signal before then flipping to a positive trend after further upside action. FLJP holds long-term peer relative strength, sitting on an RS buy signal versus iShares MSCI ACWI ex US ETF (ACWX) dating back to 2011. From here, the fund faces some overhead resistance from $31 to $31.50 then again at all-time highs at $32.50. For those seeking additional income within their international equity exposure, FLJP also offers a strong yield of 4.25%. 

This section of the report categorizes select Franklin ETFs by their respective broad group. Along with each group, you can view the Average Group Score, which is an average of the scores of all funds represented in that particular group. Those Franklin ETFs that meet or exceed the Average Group Score will be highlighted in green in order to easily view those ETFs that have superior strength within their respective group. You want to focus on those ETFs that exhibit superior strength when looking to add new exposure to a particular group.

The distribution curve places each ETF on a bell curve according to their respective degrees of overbought or oversold status using a 10-week distribution. ETFs that are statistically oversold will appear on the left-hand side of the bell curve, while those that have become statistically overbought will appear on the right-hand side of the bell curve. Perhaps the most useful attribute of this feature is that it displays the entire universe on the curve at one time to give us a general picture of whether the Franklin ETF universe is generally overbought on a near-term basis, or generally oversold. Our best opportunities are to buy strong relative strength ETFs that have regressed back toward mean conditions based on market weakness, or have become oversold based upon extreme market weakness. Weekly Distribution is a short-term gauge that is most helpful in timing entry and exit points, while the longer-term information of trend and relative strength is a more controlling factor in the decision of whether to buy or sell.

Legend:

• UPPERCASE indicates that the RS chart is on a buy signal.
• lowercase indicates that the RS chart is in a sell signal.
• GREEN lettering indicates the ETFs trend chart is on a buy signal.
• RED lettering indicates the ETF is on a sell signal.
• Box Color indicates the Sector Status Rating. Green = Favored, Yellow = Average, and Red = Unfavored.

The Franklin LibertyShares International Model is designed to identify major country and regional themes in the international marketplace through the use of the Point & Figure relative strength tools. For more information on the portfolio construction and back testing, see the model info file on the models page.  (Note: The Franklin LibertyShares ETF Models will be updated Thursday mornings by 9:30 am EST) 

Weekly Changes: 

* - Dates prior to 09/01/2018, which is when the Franklin LibertyShares ETF Model became available on the NDW Research Platform, are representative of when the position was added to the backtested model.