Commentaries

The second quarter of 2026 saw geopolitical headlines and shifting views on technology impacting equity valuations globally. The war in the Middle East began to de-escalate by quarter-end, with Brent crude falling back to more normalized levels after peaking near US$120/barrel in April, though the full market impact is still being assessed. 1 Portfolio weights […]

The class F units of the Pender Bond Universe Fund were up 1%1  in the second quarter of 2026, relatively underperforming their benchmark by 1%. Most Investment Grade (IG) holdings contributed positively over the period with standout performance from Pender Corporate Bond Fund units held and certain non-IG lines such as Meritage Homes and Opko […]

In Q2, the Fund returned 10.9%, ahead of the S&P/TSX Composite at 7.0%. This is despite a challenging month of June where the Fund returned -3.8%, and the S&P/TSX Composite was up 0.5%. 1 Portfolio weights remain predominantly Canadian, with ~78.7% in Canadian equities and ~12.5% in US equities. The levels of volatility we've grown […]

As we pass the halfway point of 2026, investors may be surprised to learn that the Russell 2000 has been the top-performing major index so far this year, outpacing the S&P 500 and far exceeding the mega-cap Magnificent 7. Small caps are beating large-cap peers by nearly 1,400 basis points YTD, the largest first-half gap […]

The Pender Corporate Bond Fund ended the month of June down -0.7%1, a result driven primarily by individual line-items which offset the generally positive price environment in the bond market over the period. The most significant area of weakness for the Fund in June was oil and gas issuers, including equity-sensitive convertible lines in Borr […]

Market Insights The first half of the year had a little of everything. We have all come to expect the unexpected under President Trump but the events that have unfolded caught even the most cynical off guard. Heading into 2026, one of the consensus calls was that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) would cut […]

The first half of the year had a little of everything. We have all come to expect the unexpected under President Trump but the events that have unfolded caught even the most cynical off guard. Heading into 2026, one of the consensus calls was that the FOMC would cut interest rates. They were one of […]

Dear Unitholders, The Pender Alternative Arbitrage Fund and the Pender Alternative Arbitrage Plus Fund were 0.4% and 0.7%1  respectively in May 2026 while the HFRI ED: Merger Arbitrage Index (USD) returned 0.2%2. M&A Market Update M&A activity remained robust through May despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, tariff negotiations and concerns about economic growth. According to LSEG […]

Market Update The month of May felt an awful lot like April, and it’s not just the weather. April was a positive month that saw equity markets recover most, if not all, of the March losses stemming from the US-Iran war concerns. Turning the calendar over to May, many market observers were calling for more of a pause. The […]