Industry

Briefly:

(February 11, 2005) The British Columbia Securities Commission has reached a settlement agreement with a couple from Atlantic Canada convicted of unregistered trading two years ago. The agreement ends a four-year prohibition against Laurie and Ronald Davis from participating in B.C.’s capital markets. The couple solicited promissory notes in a “personal empowerment program” offering annual […]

By Staff |February 7, 2005

10 min read

Industry

IFIC calls for regulatory action in upcoming budget

(February 7, 2005) IFIC is urging Ottawa to encourage increased cooperation among Canada’s securities regulators, as the federal government prepares to bring down its budget on February 23. The ultimate goal should be the creation of a harmonized regulatory structure, IFIC said in its pre-budget submission, released today. “Building a national approach to regulation will […]

By Doug Watt |February 7, 2005

3 min read

Industry

Soft dollars part two: Meanwhile, down south . . .

Magazines, newspapers, journals and on-line news services; Phone lines and data transmission lines; Phone lines and data transmission lines; Magazines, newspapers, journals and on-line news services; Portfolio accounting services; Proxy-voting services unrelated to issuer research; and Travel expenses incurred in company visits. Redefining how soft dollars can be used is part of a larger mission […]

By Philip Porado |February 4, 2005

3 min read

Industry

Spending, minor tax changes expected in federal budget

(February 4, 2005) Federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale will have billions to spend when he brings down his second federal budget in Ottawa on February 23. But it appears unlikely he’ll introduce any major tax changes. In November, Ottawa announced that the surplus for the current fiscal year, which ends April 1, would be close […]

By Doug Watt |February 4, 2005

3 min read

Regulator set to introduce soft-dollar paper

(February 3, 2005) The Canadian Securities Administrators is about to release for comment a discussion paper on soft-dollar arrangements. The long-awaited report could be made public as early as Friday, said Cindy Petlock, the Ontario Securities Commission’s manager of market regulation at a Strategy Institute conference in Toronto today. Canadian regulators have been studying the […]

By Doug Watt |February 3, 2005

2 min read

Portus temporarily shut down by OSC

(February 3, 2005) The Ontario Securities Commission has ordered hedge fund manager Portus Alternative Asset Management to stop opening new accounts and to stop accepting new assets under a temporary order issued late Wednesday. That order could be extended at a hearing scheduled for Thursday, February 17. The OSC issued the order “in the public […]

2 min read

Resourceful fund investors gained in January

(February 2, 2005) The natural resource sector continued to provide mutual fund investors with strong gains in January, returning to the top spot on the Morningstar Canada performance tables after a pullback in December, 2004. The Morningstar Canada Natural Resources Fund index gained 3.1% in the first month of 2005, thanks in large part to […]

By Steven Lamb |February 2, 2005

2 min read

Equity funds underperforming benchmark, says S&P

(February 2, 2005) Only about one-quarter of actively-managed Canadian equity funds outperformed the S&P/TSX Composite Index in 2004, according to Standard & Poor’s latest Indices Versus Active Funds Scorecard (SPIVA). The results for last year show 23.6% of actively-managed Canadian equity funds outperformed the TSX, similar to the U.S., where 29.8% of U.S. equity funds […]

By Doug Watt |February 2, 2005

2 min read

New Year starts solidly for fund sales

(February 2, 2005) January marked another strong month for the mutual fund industry, with net sales estimated at between $1.3 and $1.7 billion, according to IFIC. That’s not quite as high as January 2004, when net sales reached $1.8 billion, but tops last month’s figure of $1.2 billion. “With January seeing the fifth straight month […]

By Doug Watt |February 2, 2005

1 min read