Currency Hedging for Importers Although USX currency options are often used by speculators interested in expressing a directional view on the USD/CAD exchange rate, they also offer an interesting opportunity for corporations that conduct business in both currencies and are interested in mitigating the exchange rate risk...
As can be seen in the following chart, the price of shares in National Bank of Canada (NA) recently peaked at $73.22, representing an increase of 21.85% in 110 days, for an annualized rate of return of 72.50%. It is unlikely that this pace of growth can be sustained over an extended period of time. In addition, there are signs...
Through 2018 and into the first quarter of 2019, Canadian marijuana companies represented one of the hottest sectors in the equities market. However, since its March 19, 2019 high of $23.87, the Horizons Marijuana Life Science ETF (HMMJ) has been on a steady decline, and by November 19, 2019 it was down to $8.34, having lost...
Directional Trading with USX Currency Options Our focus in Part 4 of the series is to demonstrate how USX currency options can be used for directional trading through the direct purchase of a call or put option. Options offer investors a way to buy a long position with a defined risk (limited to the cost of the option), while...
Given our proximity to the United States and/or for purposes of geographic diversification, many investors have investments in their portfolios that are priced in U.S. dollars. As with all investments, U.S. equities carry market risk, and it is important to carefully analyze securities so as to minimize, as much as possible,...
Part 3: Specifications of USX Options To summarize, in Part 1 we reviewed the macro drivers that influence a currency’s value, and in Part 2 we focused on the impact of those changes in the currency’s value on investors. The focus in Part 3 will be on understanding the specifications of Canadian USX options and how to size...
Shares in Cogeco Communications Inc. (CCA) were trading at $104.36 at this writing on August 9, 2019, but as the following graph shows, they jumped on July 10 when the company released its latest financial results. After topping out at $107.05 on July 16, prices moved in a relatively narrow corridor of $103.33 to $107.35....
Part 1: Welcome to the world of currencies It is very common for Canadian investors to invest in American stocks. Yet, it is surprising how few retail investors understand the impact currency fluctuations have on their returns. More often than not, investors look at the price fluctuation of an asset price assuming a constant...
In this article, we analyze changes in Canadian building permits in relation to fluctuations in the price of Richelieu Hardware Ltd. (symbol: RCH) for the period from January 2014 to May 2019. RCH is an importer, distributor and manufacturer of specialty hardware and complementary products. The company’s main source of...
As the following chart shows, the price of shares in George Weston Limited (WN) is down slightly from its recent high of $102.30, and it could stabilize at a support level of around $98.00. This is close to the current level of its 34-day moving average (on April 29, 2019). Furthermore, we can see that the stock’s RSI 5...