As earnings season winds down, focus will shift away from company specifics onto Fed nuances, tapering timelines and interest rate fears; noise that typically triggers sentiment shifts with an attendant spike in volatility. Not surprisingly, we are seeing signs that the US economy is not as robust as some might have thought....
Canadian stocks share much with the Toronto Blue Jays in that they pale in comparison to their US counterparts, proving once again just how much our economy relies on commodities, precious metals and energy. Friday was yet another disappointing day weighed down by retreating gold stocks, fallout from Potash’s sub-par earnings...
Portfolio management is not investment management. That may seem contradictory, but the distinction is important in terms of one’s financial health, And particularly relevant for investors who rely on their portfolio for income. A portfolio is the end result of a disciplined process that allocates an assortment of financial...
Just when we thought we were out, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) pulls us back in! The markets were already turning the corner, as traders were starting to focus on real economic fundamentals rather than liquidity enhancements; what I have referred to in past blogs as visibility. Then, just as the markets were adapting to this...
Canada’s May trade deficit was 70% of the deficit recorded in April. In what seems like a good news story, in reality it was the result of imports contracting at twice the rate of exports. The way to think about this data point is to envision a two edged sword slicing its way through the Canadian economy. Keeping in mind the...
The Canadian banks find themselves feeling a substantial hangover as the Canadian stock market continues to lag. The ongoing stories of the risks to the Canadian real estate market awaken fears of a U.S. style correction that would certainly leave question marks about the bank balance sheets. Debt continues to be a dominant...
So much for last weeks’ commentary. Global financial markets did what they have for most of the year… exactly the opposite of consensus. Instead of following through on the sell-off that occurred two weeks ago, last week saw an about face. Pattern recognition is quickly becoming a lost art. The spotlight shifted away from...
A Case for Cameco Back in a May, a group of politicians in Japans parliament called for a return to nuclear power as a solution for overcoming the economic challenges of importing expensive economic fossil fuels. 2 years ago, an earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused a nuclear meltdown that forced the shutdown of 48 out of 50...