• In the month of August MLPs struggled (DWA MLP Index -4.1%, Alerian MLP Index -5.5%) as equities sold off and oil was down almost 6% while gasoline was down 15.2%.
• Two key energy market drivers in August were China trade talks and crude supply.  The US and China struggled to make progress in August. No deal is being interpreted by the market as a potential demand risk. In addition, August saw a couple surprise crude builds. These unexpected builds proved to be a catalyst for sharp selloffs in WTI.
• With commodities and the S&P 500 selling off in August, MLPs were not immune. However, the DWA MLP Index continues to outperform the Alerian benchmark; August outperformance +1.4% and +10.5% YTD.
• We believe September’s macro environment will again be led by China trade talks. Announced September deputy level meetings and October senior meetings led to a macro rally on 9/4 and 9/5. Crude followers will be keeping close tabs on oil supplies to see if the surprise builds in August were a one-off or a new trend.

Macro-Backdrop: Energy, Equity, & Commodity Performance

MLP Spotlight

• August DWA MLP Index Constituents Performance

• The DWA MLP Index vs. Alerian MLP Index Historical Total Return Performance

MLP Index Constituents by Subindustry

• The current holdings and weights for the DWA MLP Index as of September 3rd, 2019

• On a monthly basis, the DWA MLP Index rebalances to equal-weight after selecting the top 15 MLPs exhibiting the largest positive relative strength characteristics according to the proprietary Dorsey Wright Relative Strength Ranking Methodology.

• The current holdings and weights for the Alerian MLP Index as of September 3rd, 2019

• The Alerian MLP Index is a capped, float-adjusted, capitalization-weighted index, whose constituents earn the majority of their cash flow from midstream activities involving energy commodities.