Conglomerates appeal to some long termed investors because of their diversity. Some conglomerates are so widespread in their corporate interests that they act much like a diversified mutual fund or ETF. Only without the fees, and often WITH a management team holding significant skin in the game. That doesn’t mean that all conglomerates are worthy Read More
Canadian banks are still on trend
Here’s a monthly chart of the BMO CDN bank equally weighted index. Nice uptrend, I must say. However, the sector is not without its harrowing moments. For example, the period between mid-2014 and early 2016 was a lousy time to be in the banks. Sure, the trend returned, but you had to wonder if that Read More
Is steel a steal?
In mid-February the U.S. Commerce Department proposed a potential 24% tariff on aluminum and steel imports coming from foreign countries. Canada does have a significant exposure to steel producers via Stelco and Russel Metals. The U.S. is by far the largest customer for Canadian steel. However, the proposal is for a “surgical option,” which would Read More
Comfortably numb
This blog is a recap of a client update that we are sending out. I thought it would be of use to you for some forward strategy pondering. BTW – if you don’t already subscribe, our newsletter is sent out once or twice a month. It’s a recap of our client update, ex the Read More
In we go
I’m sorry I have not been able to post for a few days. I did a presentation at the Orlando MoneyShow on Saturday and left my MacAir’s power cord behind. After learning that these cords are $80 USD ($100++) in Staples, I decided to wait for the fine folks at MoneyShow to purolator my cord Read More
Amateur hour is over
My neighbor walks his dog with me sometimes. He’s a great guy, but very typical of most undisciplined investors. That is, he is long the market and gets frustrated when markets go bearish. He cries the blues and panics when losing money. Recently on a walk, he was bragging about the double digit gains he Read More
TSX may be nearing an entry point
I’m posting this blog today (Friday Feb 2nd) in lieu of Monday’s usual blog. I’m on BNN on Monday at 5:30 pm EST (see bottom of this blog for details) and wanted to get a blog out prior to that appearance. Hope you can catch the show. The TSX is guided by a concentration in Read More
How to lose your money as quickly as possible
As some of you may know, I’m kind of an old dog in this industry. Despite my “young” 56 years of age (ha!) – I started as an Investment Advisor at 28 years of age – in 1990. It’s now been 28 years of industry experience – exactly half of my life! Prior to that, Read More
Is Canadian technology a buy?
Canadian tech stocks are a rare species. If we look at the iShares Canadian capped tech stock ETF (XIT), it holds..brace yourself…a whopping ten stocks in its portfolio. Compare this to the widely followed SPDR technology ETF (XLK) which holds 71 US stocks. Is the Canadian tech sector worth buying, given the rabid moves Read More
How I view the TSX and oil trades
I mentioned on this blog in September that, despite the possibility of the TSX reaching its old highs – I didn’t think those highs would be breached. The TSX high of just under 16,000 had not been cracked -in fact its been relatively flat since 1999…coming up on 2 decades! I felt that rising Read More