Economic Indicators

Canadians struggling to save: RBC

While Canadians appear to be accelerating their mortgage payments, they claim to be saving less, according to a survey by RBC. The poll found that 40% of Canadians are saving less than they did last year.

By Staff |June 22, 2011

2 min read

Economic Indicators

Investors flocking to Latin America

In a world where leading economies are saddled with a tenuous recovery, Latin America is proving to be a happy hunting ground for global investors always looking for the next growth story.

By Vikram Barhat |June 20, 2011

3 min read

Economic Indicators

China to decelerate in coming months

Chinese economic growth may moderate further in the coming months due to weak exports. The Conference Board, the leading economic index for China, said that its leading indicator for Chinese economy rose 20 basis points month-on-month to 154.5 in April, slower than a 90 basis points increase in March. Conference Board economist Bill Adams said […]

By Staff |June 16, 2011

2 min read

Economic Indicators

India’s Central Bank raises rates to curb inflation

The reserve bank of India tightened its monetary policy once again, the tenth rate hike since March 2010, in an attempt to contain spiralling inflation. The repo, the rate at which the RBI lends, was raised by a quarter point to 7.5%. The reverse repo, the rate at which the central bank borrows from banks, […]

By Staff |June 16, 2011

1 min read

Shielding portfolios against next Sino-Forest

It’s certainly no easy task for advisors to avoid portfolio bombs like Sino-Forest Corp. and Armtec Infrastructure Inc., both of which lost over 80% of their value recently. The reasons for the losses are different, but the pain is still the same. Up until mid-April, Sino-Forest stock (TRE) was humming along quite nicely. It had […]

June 16, 2011

6 min read

Debt problem worse than topline suggests

Canadians are slowly waking up to the fact that putting the brakes on spending is not enough to battle household debt. According to the latest debt report from the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA-Canada), Canadian families are faced with household debt that’s reached a record high. “The debt of a typical household is […]

3 min read

Consumer confidence dips

Canadian consumer sentiment dipped in the second quarter, but most expect the country will enjoy positive economic results over the coming five years, according to a Harris/Decima survey for Investors Group. The overall confidence reading edged lower to 83.7, from its first quarter reading of 86.2, but Canadians are still more optimistic than Americans, who […]

By Staff |June 9, 2011

2 min read

Five forces affecting your client’s portfolio

Soaring debt levels in advanced economies, overheating emerging markets and strict capital controls are among the global economic and financial challenges faced by financial planners, according to Thomas Hockin, executive director, International Monetary Fund, speaking at the CIFPs 9th Annual National Conference-2011, in Ottawa. “We’ve had 22 financial crises since 1945; financial crisis is the […]

3 min read

Recession was easy, recovery will be tough

Canada managed to navigate its way through the Great Recession of 2008 without much damage, but the time for self-congratulation may be over. There are a number of hazards on the horizon, including the withdrawal of government stimulus, rising interest rates and the stubbornly strong loonie is stifling exports. Canada—indeed, the world—still has some challenges […]

4 min read