August marked an important turning point for US small and mid-cap companies, as improvement in forward earnings expectations became increasingly evident. Since the Fund's launch in December 2024, two-year forward EPS growth for the S&P MidCap 400 has risen from just over 5% to roughly 18%. The improvement within the Fund has been even more […]
How the AI Infrastructure Boom is Reshaping the Case for Small and Mid Cap Equities In this episode of the Pender podcast, Aman Budhwar, Portfolio Manager of the Pender US Small/Mid Cap Equity Fund, sits down with host Laura Baker, Associate Client Portfolio Manager, to explore why the AI story extends far beyond the mega […]
While the summer months are typically quieter for markets, July was dominated by earnings releases from several of the Magnificent Seven. As expected, artificial intelligence (AI) remained a central theme, with capital expenditure (capex) guidance and management commentary driving much of the market’s reaction. Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta continued to invest heavily in the […]
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 […]
As we move into June, the macro backdrop remains dynamic. Inflation stays front and center, shaped by several converging forces: ongoing conflict in the Middle East and supply disruptions tied to the Strait of Hormuz, the lingering effects of tariffs, AI-driven demand, and a broadening global growth recovery. Despite these factors, markets have continued to […]
Market Environment – Navigating a Volatile April April 2026 has been a pivotal month as the US stock market continued to experience heightened volatility driven by a combination of geopolitical risks and shifting expectations for Federal Reserve policy. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continued to impact oil markets, resulting in volatile price spikes, […]
Market Environment – (More) Energy Shocks and the Prevalence of the US Economy March delivered a blunt reminder that geopolitics can reprice markets faster than fundamentals. The optimism that carried US small and mid-caps to outperformance in the early weeks of 2026 gave way to a more difficult backdrop as instability in the Middle East […]
Market Environment – Energy Shocks and the AI Economy In February, markets faced several crosswinds. The US Supreme Court ruled against the use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act to justify the April 2025 reciprocal tariffs, while tensions between the United States and Iran escalated into armed conflict, adding to geopolitical uncertainty. Against this […]
Market Environment – AI from Narrative to Numbers At the start of 2026, investors entered the year with a mix of optimism and uncertainty. While outlooks were published and geopolitical risks remained elevated, one theme continued to shape market narratives and investor focus: artificial intelligence. As the “Magnificent Seven” report earnings, AI-related themes were increasingly […]
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