US

US PE/VC Benchmark Commentary: First Quarter 2015

US private equity and venture capital earned solid returns during first quarter 2015, outpacing the S&P 500 but trailing the Russell 2000® small-cap index. First quarter’s 2.6% return for the Cambridge Associates LLC US Private Equity Index® was an improvement over its 0.8% performance in the previous quarter while the 3.8% return for the Cambridge Associates LLC US Venture Capital Index® was a 6.1 ppt drop from results in the prior quarter.

Revisiting Active US Equity Management: A Cyclical Story

We are not unconditional advocates for or against active management; investors have different circumstances. However, while there are many logical rationales for favoring index over active investing, the recent performance struggle of the average active manager is not among them.

When Should Investors Become More Enthusiastic About US Small-Cap Stocks?

Investors should become more enthusiastic about US small-cap stocks when valuations become more compelling. Small-cap valuations today are unusually rich. Our preferred composite P/E ratio indicates the Russell 2000® trades at 33.7 times normalized earnings, about 60% above fair value and in the top 2% of all historical occurrences. Short-term metrics are little more compelling;…