Small Cap

As inflation concerns continue to influence 2025 market dynamics, investors seek equity-based strategies to provide rising-price protection.

Investors may be happy to shift some of their focus away from the ongoing tariff saga and back toward economic data and earnings reports.

The U.S. economy remains resilient despite headline volatility tied to shifting trade and tariff policies. Meanwhile, we continue to see a lot of volatility in the economic data as the world adjusts to these changing policies.

Low volatility exchange traded funds are a compelling solution for those looking to dampen risk while staying invested.

For many years, the pension plan has often been a drag on a corporation’s financial positions. Now that’s generally no longer the case, and it’s time to consider what’s next.

The RAFI™ Fundamental Index has a value tilt, but to characterize it as a value index would be an oversimplification that misses the important advantages that the fundamental index offers above standard “value” index approaches.

High yield bonds have historically delivered attractive long-term returns, and since the Great Financial Crisis they have also become higher quality, as weaker borrowers have departed the sector for the private credit and leveraged loan markets.

Emerging market (EM) countries are often generalized as all the same and driven by commodity prices. The reality can be very different. Here's what you should know about EM stocks now.

With the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law on July 4, this note briefly discusses some of the implications for energy broadly and the energy infrastructure space.

It is easy to invest when markets are rallying, but it can be tough for investors to stay in their seats when markets inevitably decline again.

As the second quarter earnings season kicks into gear, Wall Street analysts are forecasting modest earnings growth of 4.8% for companies in the S&P 500.

Every year around this time, we update our Periodic Table of Commodities Returns to reflect the performance of raw materials in the first six months. I’m biased, but few tools do a better job of providing a clear, interactive picture of the commodities landscape than ours.

The right level of regulation requires careful calibration.

Fixed income benchmarks have two fundamental flaws. First, their exposures prioritize the needs of borrowers rather than investors. Second, they tend to expose investors to the biggest risks at the worst times.

As investors try to determine the policy direction of the Trump administration, there is good reason to believe there will be a lot of back and forth.

ClearBridge Investments believes tariffs remain the key risk to corporate profits in the second half of the year and is less concerned about geopolitical events or the outlook for fiscal and monetary policy.

Uncertainty has not impaired overall economic performance.

The valuation of small-cap stocks relative to large caps remains historically attractive, and small-cap recoveries in the past have resulted in meaningful periods of outperformance.

Franklin Mutual Series shares its mid-year outlook, focusing on corporate fundamentals as a catalyst to unlock value in the midst of ongoing market volatility.

As we head into the second half of the year, expect record stock buyback activity for companies in the S&P 500.

Liberation Day seems like a lifetime ago. But the 90-day pause is almost over, and—thus far—there are few deals that have been consummated.

In this month’s issue, Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity explains how markets in many regions are weathering US policy uncertainty and offers an upbeat assessment of Vietnam after a recent research visit.

A new era of regulation is bound to bring high hopes for the crypto bulls. House Republicans are now gearing up for “Crypto Week” – during which the committee has agreed to prioritize digital asset legislation and review several crypto-related bills.

Our strategy work and quantitative insights suggest the conditions behind more than a decade of U.S. equity outperformance are starting to shift.

ClearBridge Investments believes positive forces from One Big Beautiful Bill Act passage and future interest rate cuts should soon outweigh negative forces of tariff actions.

Markets rebounded sharply in 2Q 2025 following April’s tariff-driven selloff. Our mid-year market outlook breaks down the recovery, Fed policy, and where to invest next.

Are interest rates too high? A lot of people think they are, and a growing chorus of voices is calling on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut rates.

How the Matthews Emerging Markets Equity Fund’s strategy helped it achieve outperformance during a historic period for global markets.

If you’ve been following the mainstream financial media lately, you might think the airline industry is in crisis. From headlines about tariffs and labor costs to geopolitical tensions and delays at Newark Airport, it sounds like air travel should be tanking.

It was a positive quarter for emerging markets equities.

The earnings bar is fairly low for the second quarter, setting companies up for a potential easy jump—but there will likely be more focus on forward guidance.

This year, so far, the world has been riddled with geopolitical news, resonating in widespread unrest, yet seemingly yielding less impact on financial markets.

Semiconductor equities and related ETFs notched impressive performances in the first half of the year. They were buoyed by ongoing enthusiasm for the AI trade and post-Liberation Day resurgence by the Magnificent Seven.

In this video, Chuck Carnevale, co-founder of FAST Graphs, reviews 13 stocks investors asked to see.

Last week, the U.S. labor market took center stage, delivering conflicting signals. The S&P 500 reached many record highs during the shortened trading week.

In last week’s letter, I referenced Torsten Sløk’s excellent midyear outlook for Apollo Global Management. Today I’ll share some longer quotes which will, I hope, help you visualize where the economy is headed.

Tariffs have been the dominant theme in economic policy this year. While President Trump has long held protectionist views, his administration’s approach to international commerce has been more belligerent than was seen in his first term.

The bull market is alive and well, even amid widespread talk of the “death of U.S. exceptionalism.

This quarter might best be described as the “Big Beautiful Bounce”. Or the BBB. History has proven time and time again that markets do come back – but this was a historically quick market turnaround.