The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday edition that six of the Magnificent Seven stocks are declining this year, while only three of the Canadian benchmark's seven biggest stocks are down. A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post says that mounting friction with U.S. President Donald Trump is taking a toll on both nations' stocks, but the key Canadian equities gauge, the S&P/TSX Composite Index, is down less so far this year compared with the S&P 500, which has been stung by steep losses among the megacap techs. Other indicators show that the outlook for Canadian companies may be better this year. Over all, they are poised to increase their profits by 11 per cent for the first quarter compared with 7 per cent for U.S. companies. "The trend is expected to persist into 2025, even in the face of a trade war," Bloomberg Intelligence reports. Valuations are another positive for Canadian stocks. The Canadian index is trading at about 15 times projected earnings in the next 12 months, compared with 21 times for the S&P 500. "I would expect even after this tariff tantrum fades, I still think that investors perhaps have woken up to the valuation that we see," according to IG Wealth strategist Philip Petursson.