T. Rowe Price's Ritu Vohora: US small cap stocks offer strong fundamentals and cheap valuations

Soft landing prospects

If high inflation and rising rates are supposed to kill growth, the US economy does not appear to have received the memo.

Once again, the US economy has proved itself to be remarkably resilient, with it Q3 growth figures far exceeding market expectations. Now, as inflation continues to decelerate and markets price in rate cuts, the prospect of a soft economic landing in 2024 appears to be growing. Federal Reserve holds rates steady as Jerome Powell dampens March cut hopes This is particularly good news for US smaller companies, which have borne the brunt of heightened risk aversion. Smaller firms have historically traded at a premium to large-caps due to their higher risk/return profile, but over t...