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Institutional speculation fuels commodity boom: Expert

In an interview with Advisor.ca, U.S. commodities commentator Steve Briese, the editor of www.commitmentsoftraders.org and an advisor for JovInvestment Management’s Horizons Global Contrarian Fund, says the regulation already exists to solve speculation. The problem is the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has flagrantly ignored its own rules limiting who can speculate in the market. […]

By Mark Noble |June 18, 2008

4 min read

ETFs evolve into active investments

Discussions about ETFs have a tendency to turn into a debate about passive versus active investing. Many of ETFs’ biggest boosters are investors who believe mutual fund managers can’t beat an index benchmark consistently, making the management expense ratio (MER) on mutual funds unwarranted. But the ETF doesn’t have to be a passive investment. Last […]

By Mark Noble |May 7, 2008

5 min read

Transparent alternatives wanted

(March 2008) A few years ago the thought of a hedge fund manager tipping his hand or letting investors get a glimpse inside his “black box” was laughable, the stuff of fairy tales. This secrecy was acceptable — and still is — because alternative investments, hedge funds, were more narrowly defined and available only to […]

By Kate McCaffery |March 20, 2008

4 min read

Investors overlooking muni-bonds

(February 2008) Everyone knows that government savings bonds are a safe way to invest, but they’re not much fun when it comes to returns. So some investors who want the security of a federal or provincial bond but like a bit more kick in the return are turning to often overlooked municipal bonds. Muni-bonds are […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |February 13, 2008

5 min read