Investments

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Synchronicity and the Modern Portfolio Theory

(September 2008) One of the key tenets of Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) holds that diversification among asset classes is one of the most important ways for an investor to both moderate his risk and enhance his prospects for above-average performance over time. Thus, over the years, investors have scrambled to find asset classes which generated […]

By Ockham Research |September 11, 2008

5 min read

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Market Insights

Bernanke has kept his helicopters grounded…so far

(September 2008) In late 2002, when deflation fears were running rampant through the financial markets, a little-known Fed governor by the name of Ben Bernanke thrust himself into the glare of publicity by giving a speech in which he explained what the Fed could do to ensure that deflation didn’t happen in the U.S. Like […]

By Steven Saville |September 10, 2008

5 min read

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Market Insights

U.S. dollar: to buy or not to buy?

(September 9, 2008) Economic news last Friday confirmed why the U.S. stock market had its biggest down week in five months. Friday’s Non Farm payrolls fell by 84,000 in August, and revisions to prior months added another 58,000 job losses. The increase in the jobless rate sent the Misery Index, which adds unemployment to inflation, […]

By Staff |September 9, 2008

3 min read

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Market Insights

Bear market rally or the start of an equities recovery?

(September 8, 2008) Equity markets in North America have staged a significant rally this morning following the U.S. government’s move over the weekend to take over beleaguered mortgage lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. While Fannie and Freddie have seen its share prices collapse and Sovereign Bancorp, a significant holder in Freddie Mac, has dropped […]

By Colin Cieszynski, CMC Markets |September 8, 2008

3 min read

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Market Insights

Active managers continue to underperform

(September 2008) Thanks to quarter-to-quarter volatility, active managers, once again, failed to beat the benchmark in Q2. Standard & Poor’s Indices Versus Active (SPIVA) Funds Scorecard reports that just 31.2% of Canadian equity active fund managers outperformed the S&P/TSX Composite Index. While that might seem low, compared to long-term numbers, that result is actually pretty […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |September 3, 2008

2 min read

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Where the money is not

It’s a money trail that leads from Nassau to Montreal and Minnesota – a trail of tears said to have evaporated $1.5 billion or more in investor money and shareholder assets. And it all started with a secret $4 million offshore investment. Whether there’s any money left for investors to claim – beyond a paltry […]

By Scot Blythe |September 1, 2008

12 min read

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Market Insights

The right mix

Developing the right asset mix for your client can be tricky business. Advisors have to determine their clients’ risk tolerance, closely watch the markets, and there’s the not-so-small matter of making money. So what’s an advisor to do when clients’ portfolios are more volatile than an active volcano? Nothing. “I focus on the plans we […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |September 1, 2008

5 min read

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Market Insights

Bank bear

Caution is the watchword for veteran hedge-fund manager Veronika Hirsch. “Right now we are sitting at 35% cash,” says the manager of the $142-million BluMont Hirsch Performance. “And I think that tells you how cautious we are. I’m using it strategically, as opposed to not having any ideas today.” Hirsch is the chief investment officer […]

By Diana Cawfield |September 1, 2008

3 min read

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Market Insights

Analyst’s report: Dynamic focus + small business

Veteran Oscar Belaiche and newly minted co-manager Jason Gibbs are looking pretty smart these days. While most Canadian small-cap funds sport losses in the double digits over the past year, management’s decision to keep cash on the sidelines has shielded the fund from steep losses. They have also done a fairly decent job ferreting out […]

By Jordan Benincasa |September 1, 2008

3 min read

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Market Insights

Print this package: Blended Returns

(August 2008) Our latest special report, Blended Returns: Creating the right asset mix for troubled markets, examines how certain sectors are faring during these turbulent economic times. We look at Canadian and foreign equity, the bond market, how well commodities are doing, and where real estate will end up. Then we wrap things up with […]

By Staff |August 15, 2008

2 min read

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