News and resources for Canada's top financial advisors
Market Insights
By most accounts, the current financial crisis is epochal — the worst since the Depression. Still, it is a truism in asset management: look after the downside and the returns will look after themselves. But how well do asset managers look after the downside? In the current market meltdown, evidence of failure isn’t hard to […]
By Scot Blythe |March 27, 2009
3 min read
Products
Canadian equities have proven no place to hide during the financial storm, and that applies to firms operating in private markets too: venture capital, mezzanine financing and leveraged buyouts. And that storm whips up winds in all directions. Fundraising has dwindled as traditional private equity investors find themselves overextended. The general partnerships that invest the […]
By Scot Blythe |March 23, 2009
4 min read
The world is in a deep global recession that’s expected to continue until at least the end of this year, but that doesn’t mean the markets aren’t rife with opportunity, according to the latest Global Investment Outlook by the country’s largest asset manager, RBC Asset Management. According to RBC’s 70-page spring investment outlook, authored by […]
By Mark Noble |March 12, 2009
5 min read
This year is not going to be easy for hedge fund managers, according to a survey of the managers themselves. While almost all want to raise new investment capital, nearly 84% expect competition for qualified investors to be fierce, according to a survey by New York–based CPA firm Rothstein Kass. “Though hedge funds outperformed in […]
By Steven Lamb |March 9, 2009
2 min read
There seem to be cycles in private company investing. Those with long memories will remember Michael Milken and junk bonds. In recent memory, there were the venture firms of the Silicon Valley that went bust at the beginning of the decade, or more recently still, buyouts whose coda was supplied by the failure of the […]
By Scot Blythe |March 6, 2009
6 min read
While guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefit funds have been a huge hit in the Canadian marketplace, at least one company isn’t looking to gain shelf space anytime soon. “We’re not excited about gaining market share until the product is more compatible with where we’re headed,” Manulife senior executive vice-present and chief financial officer Peter Rubenovitch told […]
By Scot Blythe |March 5, 2009
While they’ve been around for just over two years, Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) segregated funds have made a significant impact on the Canadian marketplace. The introduction of an investment vehicle that offers the opportunity to participate in investment markets while guaranteeing a stream of income for life has been so attractive to the marketplace […]
By Jason M. Pereira |March 1, 2009
The battle still rages between those who propose to “be” the market and those who prefer to “beat” it. But thanks to a deluge of new options, passive and active products can now co-exist in portfolios. And with the recent advent of index mutual funds designed specifi cally for the MFDA channel, those advisors now […]
By Preet Banerjee |March 1, 2009
7 min read
Equities rolled off a cliff last year, for the second time in a decade. And yet, stocks are still expected to deliver the best returns over the long haul — albeit muted returns compared to the blistering 1990s. That’s the conclusion of Elroy Dimson, Paul Marsh and Mike Staunton, researchers at the London School of […]
By Scot Blythe |February 19, 2009
Small caps fell harder and faster than large cap stocks in 2008. In fact, the definition of small cap itself is in question as valuations have plummeted to extreme lows. Yet, history suggests small caps usually have good performance during the early stages of a stock market recovery. A report released by Merrill Lynch on […]
By Mark Noble |February 18, 2009
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.