News and resources for Canada's top financial advisors
Economic Indicators
Having narrowly escaped the U.S. debt default blow, the holders of municipal and state bonds were only beginning to breathe easy when the credit rating downgrade rekindled their worst fears. A haircut for these investors may now be inescapable as state and local governments brace for unprecedented budgetary challenges. There could be some blowback on […]
By Vikram Barhat |August 11, 2011
3 min read
Industry
As nervous investors grapple with the U.S. credit rating downgrade and the resultant market uncertainty and panic, the world continues to be reshaped. With renewed vigour, advocates of emerging markets are pointing out deteriorating debt metrics in the developed world, contrasting it with improving debt metrics in much of the emerging world. “There’s going to […]
A little volatility can be a good thing if you’re an active manager. Q2 saw 68% of active managers beat the index, according to the Russell Active Manager report. That’s a massive improvement from just 39% in Q1. The bar was set pretty low, as the S&P/TSX Composite Index declined 5.2% in Q2, dragged lower […]
By Staff |August 10, 2011
2 min read
BMO Investments has shifted its BMO LifeStage Plus 2017 Fund asset allocation to a “protected” asset mix, and will exclusively hold fixed income securities and cash until its target end date. “In keeping with the fund’s investment strategies, this reallocation to a fixed income portfolio is intended to ensure the fund maintains sufficient assets, at […]
1 min read
Market Insights
We will not sugar coat today’s market situation as performance since April, and the last couple of weeks in July in particular, has been terrible. Not only have many market indices, such as the TSX Index and the S&P 500, corrected so too have many commodity prices which does not bode well for the Canadian […]
By Gareth Watson |August 9, 2011
9 min read
When volatility spikes, even your best clients are bound to get a little nervous. But that’s why they engaged your services in the first place, not to mention those of the professional money managers you deal with. Over the past decade, managed solutions, or wraps, have proven popular with financial advisors because they allow a […]
By Staff |August 9, 2011
The U.S. government’s credit downgrade has added more fuel to the fire which swept the equity markets last week, burning a massive hole in portfolios around the world. Money managers say the downgrade might not have been expected on Friday night, but it certainly didn’t come as a surprise. “This debt didn’t just suddenly appear […]
By Staff |August 8, 2011
The historic decision by Standard & Poor’s to downgrade the U.S. credit rating may have created scandalous headlines, but currency markets were quick to price it in—shockingly in favour of the greenback. And that trend may continue, according to industry participants in the Canadian financial market. From a currency standpoint, the first-ever downgrade of the […]
By Vikram Barhat |August 8, 2011
4 min read
Notwithstanding better-than-expected U.S. job data, fears continue to grow that the U.S. economy is slipping back into recession. Coupled with the untamed Eurozone debt crisis, that fear is weighing on the global economy. As the curtain came down on America’s manufactured debt default drama, the veil lifted on a slew of grim global economic data. […]
By Vikram Barhat |August 5, 2011
The U.S. government has bought itself some breathing room on its financing, but the debate and brinkmanship leading up to the deal has crushed the nation’s already fragile consumer confidence. Slightly more than half (54%) of Americans say the debate weakened their confidence in the economy, according to the RBC Consumer Outlook Index for the […]
By Staff |August 4, 2011
We use cookies to make your website experience better. By accepting this notice and continuing to browse our website you confirm you accept our Terms of Use & Privacy Policy.