Recent market briefings via finance research letters indicate small-cap indexes outperforming large caps year-to-date, a trend suggesting risk appetite is returning among investors. Professor Andrew Urquhart is Professor of Finance and Financial Technology and Head of the Department of Finance at Birmingham Business School (BBS). Finance research letters track that U.S. industrial production growth is feeding into materials sector earnings, suggesting a potential multi-quarter rally. Finance research letters track that U.S. industrial production growth is feeding into materials sector earnings, suggesting a potential multi-quarter rally.