iShares S&P US Mid-Cap Index (XMC-T)

MER of XSU is 0.36%. Around for a dog's age. Replicates small-cap index well. Doesn't have the same valuation challenges as with the S&P 500 and concentration of the Magnificent 7.

Also consider XMC for more mid-cap exposure, MER of 0.16%, has done a bit better.

(Don't forget to incorporate foreign, developed areas from EMs ;)

He likes the mid-cap sector. It is a sweet spot. He would be okay with the holding for a year or less, but eventually the market will price in the expected recession.

(A Top Pick Dec 16/16. Up 2.64%.) A core position in his US allocations, both for families and institutional accounts. There tends to be a much more domestic focus on those companies in the US, as opposed to the S&P 500. Also, this has a better tilt towards their banking system.

He likes that this has a bit more focus on the domestic US economy, over the S&P 500. Roughly 40%-45% of the S&P 500 sales come from outside of the US, whereas this one is almost 100% domestic. Earnings growth is expected to be pretty fast, somewhere around 11%-12%. That is based on 5% growth in sales, so there is a 2 for 1 leverage on sales to earnings growth. Thinks the 5% sales growth is too low, and it is going to be more like 7%-8%, which means you could get 16%-18% earnings growth. Technology is about 17% of this index, but it is technology, not Internet services. It has 17% financials, mostly community banks.