Arjun Deiva

Arjun Deiva covers financial markets through data-driven equity screens that turn complex company fundamentals into concise lists of investable ideas. He is a monthly financial columnist for The Globe and Mail’s Number Cruncher section, with more than 50 stock-screening articles published since 2020. Across Canadian and global markets, he focuses on companies with resilient cash flow, strong balance sheets and attractive valuations, often in periods of volatility or uncertainty.

Number Cruncher equity screens across Canadian and global markets

Deiva’s Number Cruncher pieces consistently revolve around clearly defined equity screens, each article filtering a universe of stocks down to a short list that meets specific financial and strategic criteria. In one column he highlights ten fast-growing Canadian companies at reasonable valuations, combining growth metrics with valuation discipline to identify names that balance expansion with price. In another he selects ten efficient U.S. large-cap companies capitalizing on AI, focusing on operational efficiency and exposure to artificial intelligence themes among large, liquid stocks. He often concentrates on companies that have sold off but remain fundamentally sound, such as eight beaten-down TSX companies growing at cheap valuations and 10 beaten-down U.S. tech leaders trading at a discount, where he emphasises growth profiles and discounted pricing relative to fundamentals.

His methodology foregrounds core balance-sheet and cash-flow measures rather than short-term trading signals. In a screen of U.S. companies caught up in a broader tech selloff, he focuses on businesses that have significantly declined from peak values yet continue to generate robust free cash flow, maintain strong balance sheets and trade at reduced valuations. When assessing discounted technology leaders, he notes book value and cash flow profile against historic valuation ranges, tying the screen to long-term financial strength rather than temporary sentiment. This approach distinguishes his work from generic market wraps by making the screening logic explicit and tying it directly to underlying company fundamentals.

Canadian stocks with growth, value and pricing power

A significant portion of Deiva’s coverage centres on Canadian-listed companies, where he repeatedly returns to themes of growth at a reasonable price, structural advantages and sector resilience. In his piece on six Canadian companies insulated from trade uncertainty, he constructs a screen around firms whose business models and revenue mix reduce exposure to shifting trade arrangements, using this lens to surface names better positioned for policy or macro shocks. His article on six Canadian companies with pricing power for investors to consider looks for businesses able to sustain margins by passing costs through to customers, spotlighting pricing power as a defensive and strategic asset.

Deiva also explores how Canadian companies are positioned in global capital flows and regional demand. In six Canadian stocks set to benefit from investor interest in Europe, he focuses on domestic firms with meaningful ties to European markets, framing the screen around potential inflows and cross-border exposure. His repeated attention to fast-growing Canadian companies at reasonable valuations and beaten-down TSX companies growing at cheap valuations shows a consistent concern with balancing growth, valuation and market dislocation within the Canadian market. Through these lenses, he presents Canadian equities not just as local listings but as participants in broader themes such as trade dynamics, regional demand and inflation-driven pricing power.

Technology, semiconductors and AI leaders at a discount

Deiva frequently targets technology and semiconductor names, especially where market weakness has created valuation opportunities. In his coverage of seven attractive U.S. companies caught up in tech selloff, he isolates firms that have seen substantial share-price declines alongside continued strong cash generation and balance-sheet strength, effectively treating sector-wide volatility as a source of entry points. His article on nine profitable global semiconductor companies screens for chipmakers with solid profitability, using global scope to show how investors can tap semiconductor demand through financially robust operators.

He extends this work into thematic technology leadership, as in ten efficient U.S. large-cap companies capitalizing on AI, where he combines efficiency metrics with AI exposure among large caps. Similarly, his list of 10 beaten-down U.S. tech leaders trading at a discount gathers major technology companies whose valuation has compressed relative to their size and cash flow, highlighting dislocations between business performance and share pricing. Across these pieces, his coverage of technology differs from broad tech commentary by tying sector narratives—such as AI adoption or semiconductor demand—back to profitability, capital efficiency and valuation screens.

Dividend growth and defensive plays in uncertain markets

Alongside growth and technology, Deiva devotes significant attention to dividend strategies and defensive sectors designed to ride out uncertainty. In screens such as seven cheap and growing U.S. dividend stocks, he looks for companies that combine dividend growth with low valuations, appealing to investors seeking both income and upside. He profiles ten Canadian companies raising dividends at a double-digit pace, focusing on firms with strong enough cash generation and balance-sheet health to sustain rapid dividend increases. These lists emphasise dividend policy as a signal of confidence and financial strength, not just as a yield figure.

His defensive approach extends beyond dividends into commodities and broader uncertainty themes. In eight precious metals producers to ride out uncertainty, he identifies producers positioned to help investors weather volatile conditions, using sector exposure and production profiles as a defensive allocation. Articles such as ten high-growth companies ready for uncertainty and his work on Canadian firms insulated from trade uncertainty frame growth and resilience together, treating uncertainty as a core design constraint of the screen rather than a passing backdrop. Taken together, these strands show Deiva’s focus on helping investors navigate choppy markets through combinations of growth, value, income and sector defensiveness, always grounded in quantitative metrics and clear selection criteria.

Across his body of work, Deiva’s coverage is distinguished by repeatable, transparent screening frameworks, an emphasis on fundamentals and valuation, and a balance between thematic narratives and concrete financial data. His CFA and CAIA designations reinforce the technical depth behind his columns, while the steady cadence of Number Cruncher pieces since 2020 reflects an ongoing practice of translating complex financial information into accessible, list-based investment ideas.