HAGI MERCEDES-BENZ CLASSIC INDEX

Although the HAGI MBCI made a small net gain over the last quarter of 2016, peaking at the end of November, one month into 2017 the index is slightly shy of where it was at the end of September.

The December decline of 0.96%, followed by a further fall of 1.47% in January, have together adjusted the medium-term market view. At November’s high of 187.70, the MBCI had returned year-on-year growth of 12.02% with a three-year accumulation of 38.31%. Now, with values back where they were five months ago, year-on-year growth has been reined back to 10.23%, while for the three-year scenario the figure has retreated to 30.78%.

Despite the recent more subdued growth, the MBCI remains firmly within a trend-channel dating back to 2014, during which time it has consistently outperformed its historic long-term annual average growth figure of 9.3%.

In wider market terms the MBCI is charting a comfortable middle ground between marques and segments that are in some cases more volatile and in other cases more prone to rotational forces.

In simple terms, the fundamentals of the MBCI are separate: the breadth of the Mercedes-Benz classic back-catalogue, which includes a large number of high-end prestige models often produced in far higher volume than rival offerings, is one thing that sets the marque apart. Others are the marque’s enduring appeal, general engineering excellence and relative ease of ownership.

The consequence of all these factors is the depth of interest, which is a constant and steadying influence. For further analysis, see historicautogroup.com.