Market Insights

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Long-term mutual fund assets drop: Investor Economics Insight

There have been a lot of losers during the past year’s market turmoil, and long-term mutual fund assets have been no exception. A new Investor Economics Insight report reveals that, in May 2007, long-term funds brought in just over $3 billion in net flows, but in the same month this year only $537 million came […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |July 4, 2008

4 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Changing Canada’s pension plan system

Make available two types of portfolios — one more and one less aggressive. Allow members to change employers without affecting their plan membership. Membership in the plan would be portable, speaking to one of the long-recognized limitations of defined-benefit pension plans. Automatically enroll all eligible workers in the plan, addressing the gap between the availability […]

By Peter Drake |July 2, 2008

4 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Active managers underperform again

Beating the S&P/TSX Composite Index has been a challenge for active managers for years, so it’s no surprise that that most Canadian mutual funds underperformed yet again. According to the Standard & Poor’s Indices Versus Active Funds (SPIVA) report, only 8.2% of Canadian equity active managers outperformed the Composite Index. “Compared to previous reports, it’s […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |June 25, 2008

3 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Investment managers cautious about Canada’s future

If you’re wondering how Canada’s investment managers are feeling about the country’s economic future, Morningstar Canada can sum it up in two words: cautiously optimistic. In the research company’s first Morningstar Investment Manager Survey in four years, the overall consensus among the 23 investment firms surveyed was that North America’s economy should improve in the […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |June 13, 2008

4 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Future of income trusts still uncertain

(May 2008) When Jim Flaherty announced in October 2006 that income trusts would be taxed in 2011, many investors thought the market was as good as dead. But that hasn’t been the case. In fact, the income trust sector has not only rebounded, its benchmark is outperforming the TSX Composite Index by about 7%. Leslie […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |May 29, 2008

5 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Time to take on risk, managers say

Brent Smith, chief investment officer of Fiduciary Trust Company and lead portfolio manager of the Quotential program, and his associate Steven Lingard, explained to about 200 advisors at a road show in Toronto that they believe a market recovery is imminent — particularly in the U.S. — and they have rebalanced their portfolios accordingly. “If […]

By Mark Noble |May 16, 2008

4 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Retirement problems aren’t limited to Canada

(May 2008) I recently had the opportunity to travel and meet with colleagues in Fidelity’s Asia-Pacific offices. A week-and-a-half spent in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangalore and Sydney certainly opened my eyes to the similarities and differences in how these countries and cultures view retirement. While there are many marked differences in how retirement is changing, […]

By Peter Drake |May 1, 2008

4 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Once-hot maple bonds experience big declines

(April 2008) With more investors turning away from risk and investing in government bonds, one debt instrument that has fallen out of favour with investors is the maple bond. In the last six months of 2007, there were only 15 Maple issues worth $4.9 billion; that’s a 53.8% drop over the same period in 2006. […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |April 21, 2008

4 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

AIC unveils

(April 2008) AIC Ltd. is moving ahead with a new “turnaround” strategy that it hopes will quell the rising tide of redemptions and market failings that have cost the company $6.5 billion — or about 58% in assets — in the last six years. The company is promoting its new partnerships with three American-based deep-value […]

By Romana King |April 4, 2008

3 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Federal budget keeps inflation low, productivity high

(March 2008) By now, every advisor will have determined which parts of the federal government budget apply to their practice. The majority of the headlines have focused on the 2009 introduction of the tax-free savings account, enhancements to registered education savings plans and proposals to increase flexibility in freeing up locked-in federally legislated pension funds, […]

By Peter Drake |March 24, 2008

4 min read

← Previous 1 … 439 440 441 442 443 … 447 Next →