The 'S&P 493' reveals a different U.S. economy

I remember reading this headline and then going and looking at the XMAG index[0].

YTD: +15.5%

1 year: +9%

Since inception (Oct 2024): +14%

Comparing that with S&P500

YTD: +16.7%

1 year: +13%

Since XMAG inception: +18%

The article should start with such a comparison but it just seems like a lot of text with very little numerical comparison, which makes it not very useful to conclude what the case is.

0: https://www.defianceetfs.com/xmag/

real url https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/11/24/sp500-sto...

In previous years, I could have excused such shoddy journalism. In the age of LLMs that can do the work for you, it’s inexcusable that the author didn’t pick 3-5 sample strong economies from the past to judge today by.

Different than when the railroads dominated the market, or the industrials dominance in the 20s and 30s, or the nifty fifty, or the communication dominance in the late 90s?

Does the S&P 493 reveal a different economy or does it reveal that the author published an article based on feelings instead of research?