Saturday, January 27, 2007

Mid-Caps

[1/27/07] For each asset class there are many arguments pro and con. But S&P Equity Strategy recommends that market participants take a good look at the mid-caps - those companies with market capitalizations of $1 billion to $4.5 billion. In addition to very competitive long-term returns, the S&P MidCap 400 index was up 0.8% this year through January 18 vs. a 0.6% gain for the S&P 500 and a 0.9% decline for the S&P SmallCap 600.

We think mid-caps represent the "sweet spot" of the U.S. equity market. Earnings growth is faster than among the large-caps, while volatility is lower, and valuations are more attractive than those of small-caps. In addition, while most institutional and retail investors already have sizable allocations in the large- and small-cap asset classes, mid-caps remain largely undiscovered, paving the way for strong money flows as this asset class draws greater investor interest.

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