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Artificial intelligence has been one of the market's most powerful investment themes over the past several years, helping propel the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks to enormous gains.

I assign a 'Hold' rating to iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (IWP) due to persistent underperformance versus peers and the broad market. IWP offers attractive growth characteristics and sector diversification, but its historical and risk-adjusted returns lag QQQJ, VO, VOT, and IWR. Expense ratio for IWP is higher than comparable mid-cap ETFs, further diminishing its relative appeal for new allocations.

IWP (iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF) structurally underperforms due to its mid-cap growth constraint, missing out on high-performing large-cap growth stocks. The fund's sector allocation—heavy on industrials and consumer discretionary, light on tech—misaligns with where growth is being rewarded in the current cycle. IWP's risk-adjusted returns lag peers, with a Sharpe ratio of 0.71 versus IWF's 1.22, despite…

Despite continued concentration in mega-cap technology stocks, US dividend-focused strategies have generally remained competitive and historically experienced more shallow drawdowns than broader equity markets. Last year, US companies paid a record US$704.8 billion in dividends - the 15th consecutive annual record. Concurrently, dividend growth accelerated across several international markets, highlighting the…

Launched on July 17, 2001, the iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (IWP) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Mid Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.