Kensho launches indices to track new economy stocks
CNBC has teamed up with Kensho to launch a range of sixteen stock indices designed to provide investors with ways to invest in disruptive technologies and trends. The Kensho New Economy Indices cover the new economy, specifically industries poised to grow rapidly over the next decade. Kensho uses big data analytics and natural language programming to identify the constituents of each index and to determine the weightings taking into account a number of factors including liquidity of the shares. Industries covered include space, autonomous vehicles, robotics, cybersecurity, nanotechnology, genetic engineering, virtual reality, 3D printing and drones.

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CNBC on Monday is initiating a new way to look at the global economy —specifically a new way to look at a very important part of that economy: the "new economy." We're launching a new set of tools in conjunction with our partners at Kensho that we — and our viewers — can use to better understand the rapidly changing economy and investing landscape. They're called Kensho New Economy Indices, a series of 16 indexes that provide ways to invest in disruptive technologies and trends using the existing public markets. By the "new economy," we're talking about industries that are poised to grow rapidly in the next decade, and grow fast: The phrase "exponential growth" is often used. But what exactly is it? And more importantly — how do you measure it, and how can you invest in it?

Let's take space. The Kensho Space Index is composed of 30 U.S.-listed companies focused on space-related activities as a principal component of their business strategy as well as the supply-chain companies involved in the industry. The commercialization of space is one of the great stories for the 21st century. When you think about the commercialization of space, you probably think about SpaceX, the firm founded by Elon Musk to create technologies that will reduce the cost of space transportation and hopes to enable the colonization of Mars. Or Virgin Galactic, founded by Sir Richard Branson to provide suborbital spaceflights for tourists. But corporate America is very involved in the space industry. Many old-school companies that you know are heavily invested in the "new economy," but you likely don't know it. Several large companies that have significant exposure to space are represented in the Kensho Space Index, including Boeing , Honeywell , Lockheed and United Technologies but also a few not obvious: Heico Corp. , for example. Why Heico, an aerospace electronics manufacturer? They are part of the "supply chain," providing their microwave technology for use in such things as the Mars Rover and other spacecraft with missions into deep space. Given all the interest in space, it should not be surprising to learn that the Kensho Space Index is at a historic high.

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