Cambria Fund Profile – Cambria Global Value ETF (GVAL)
Matt Faber discusses the Cambria Global Value ETF (GVAL), which invests in undervalued stocks across 45 developed and emerging markets, emphasizing that market leadership rotates and diversification protects against concentration risk in expensive U.S. mega-cap stocks. The fund returned approximately 55% in 2025 by capturing opportunities in neglected global markets while the valuation gap between U.S. and international stocks remains at historic highs.
Summary
The episode introduces the Cambria Global Value ETF (GVAL) and addresses the challenge investors face when concentrated U.S. large-cap returns make diversification feel unexciting. Faber argues that while U.S. stocks have dominated returns over the past decade, this concentration creates hidden risks including concentration risk, valuation risk, and the risk that future market leadership may differ from the past. He notes that the top 10 S&P 500 constituents now represent 39.3% of the index weight, and their valuations are at historically wide differentials compared to international markets.
Faber presents historical context showing that from 1957 to 2023, the largest 10 S&P 500 stocks underperformed the remaining 490 by 2.4% annually, but the past decade has reversed this trend with the largest 10 outperforming by 4.9% per year. He emphasizes that this outperformance is not a permanent law of nature but rather reflects current market conditions that could shift if growth expectations decline or investors become wary of valuations.
GVAL's investment methodology evaluates approximately 45 countries using long-term valuation metrics including the 10-year cyclically adjusted price-earnings ratio, dividend yields, and cash flow measures to identify the least expensive global stock markets. The fund then performs bottom-up analysis to select undervalued stocks from the top 30 largest companies in each country. The resulting portfolio looks substantially different from cap-weighted global indices, with country weightings tilted toward Austria, Poland, and Colombia rather than concentrated U.S. exposure, and sector exposure emphasizing financials and materials over technology.
Faber presents GVAL's 2025 performance of approximately 55% return on a net asset value basis, leading all U.S. diversified active ETFs. However, he cautions that past performance doesn't guarantee future results and emphasizes that the point is to understand what strong returns in neglected markets signal about sentiment shifts and regime changes. The fund is positioned as useful for core international exposure, portfolio diversification, tactical value positioning, or as a counterbalance to growth-oriented portfolios.
About this episode
In the latest podcast episode, I discuss the Cambria Global Value ETF (GVAL). I share my perspective on the gap between U.S. and international valuations, why I believe concentrated, U.S.-heavy portfolios may carry underappreciated risks, and walk through how GVAL's process screens developed and emerging markets using long-term valuation metrics. Learn More: Cambria Global Value ETF (GVAL): https://cambriafunds.com/gval Contact us at [email protected], 310-683-5500 TO DETERMINE IF THE FUND IS AN APPROPRIATE INVESTMENT FOR YOU, CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE FUND'S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, RISK FACTORS, CHARGES AND EXPENSES BEFORE INVESTING. THIS AND OTHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN THE FUND'S PROSPECTUS WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED BY CALLING 855-383-4636 (ETF INFO) OR VISITING OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.CAMBRIAFUNDS.COM. READ THE PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY BEFORE INVESTING OR SENDING MONEY. The Cambria ETFs are distributed by ALPS Distributors Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203, which is not affiliated with Cambria Investment Management, LP, the Investment Adviser for the Fund. Investing involves risk, including potential loss of capital. GVAL: There is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve its investment goal. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. High yielding stocks are often speculative, high-risk investments. The underlying holdings of the Funds may be leveraged, which will expose the holding to higher volatility and may accelerate the impact of any losses. These companies can be paying out more than they can support and may reduce their dividends or stop paying dividends at any time, which could have a material adverse effect on the stock price of these companies and the Fund’s performance. International investing may involve risk of capital loss from unfavorable fluctuations in currency values, from differences in generally accepted accounting principles, or from economic or political instability in other nations. Emerging markets involve heightened risks related to the same actors as well as increased volatility and lower trading volume. Investments in smaller companies typically exhibit higher volatility. Narrowly focused funds typically exhibit higher volatility. GVAL is actively managed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Key Insights
- Faber argues that U.S. mega-cap dominance represents a notable departure from historical patterns, with the largest 10 S&P 500 stocks outperforming the remaining 490 by 4.9% annually over the past decade compared to underperformance of 2.4% annually from 1957-2023.
- The speaker claims that valuation differentials between U.S. and global markets are at one of the widest points in history, with the top 10 S&P 500 constituents representing 39.3% of index weight as of May 2026, creating concentration risk for most U.S. investor portfolios.
- Faber asserts that GVAL's 2025 returns of approximately 55% demonstrate that markets rotate and leadership changes rapidly when sentiment flips, with neglected international value opportunities becoming viable as dry kindling that ignites suddenly.
- The speaker contends that cap-weighted indices are backward-looking by design, causing investors to become crowded into whatever has been in favor at higher valuations, whereas GVAL's approach defensively avoids expensive markets while offensively positioning in cheaper ones.
- Faber argues that Peter Bernstein's view of diversification as an aggressive strategy applies to GVAL's approach because the next major returns might come from surprising places that most investors have written off, making international value exposure both a survival and opportunity strategy.
Topics
Transcript
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify. Welcome to the MedFaber show, where the focus is on helping you grow and preserve your wealth. Join us as we discuss the craft of investing and uncover new and profitable ideas, all to help you grow wealthier and wiser. Better investing starts here. Matt Faber…
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