Home Breadcrumb caret Investments Breadcrumb caret Market Insights 4 reasons stocks will keep climbing As economies and labour markets improve, stocks will benefit. By Sarah Cunningham-Scharf | September 2, 2014 | Last updated on September 2, 2014 2 min read Stock markets may be at a high, but they still have an upside. That’s due to a combination of four factors, says Gary Chapman, a senior portfolio manager and managing director of Canadian equity at Guardian Capital. He manages the Renaissance Canadian Growth Fund. Those reasons are: 1. External liquidity “Even though [the U.S. Federal Reserve] is reducing their tapering,” says Chapman, “it’s still putting money into the system and it’s still a little bit…away from withdrawing liquidity and raising rates. That external liquidity tends to drive stocks.” Read: TSX run isn’t done, say experts 2. Internal liquidity Chapman finds there’s been an increase of capital within investors’ cash holdings. But, “as the Fed tapers, there will [likely] be a movement of cash from retail investors as they move towards stocks.” Read: Where investors put money in April 3. Cheap valuations “Valuation metrics are fine, relative to historic mediums and means. [Also], stocks are cheap relative to interest rates,” he adds. What’s more, he’s not worried about what will happen when short-term interest rates rise. “The bull market will still be on,” he predicts, since “stocks and interest rates have to rise a lot more in order to correct the tremendous undervaluation relative to interest rates.” Read: Profit from rising interest rates 4. Global economic stability The U.S. economy is improving. At the same time, China “has the monetary and fiscal policy firepower to ensure a soft landing, [while] Europe has bottomed. We don’t think Europe’s going to drag the rest of us down,” says Chapman. Read: Global economy braced by central banks As people start to invest, they should look for good drivers of growth. Currently, he and his team are comfortable with balance sheets and stocks prices since companies have the potential to post higher earnings in 2015. “There should be a bit of a tailwind from earnings growth this year,” he notes, which will help companies outperform. In particular, he’s focusing on Canadians companies that export to or have operations in the U.S. “We must, by mandate, be at least 90% invested,” says Chapman, “so at maximum, we can have 10% cash.” Right now, “our cash is towards the 2% to 3% range [and] we’re a little bit more invested than we might otherwise be.” Read: How to analyze business growth Energy sector driving domestic market Guide investors through bull markets Equity and high-yield markets doubling Top pension funds grew in 2013 Benchmarks are outdated When to underweight dominant stocks Sarah Cunningham-Scharf Save Stroke 1 Print Group 8 Share LI logo