Investments

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Market Insights

Economists predict slowdown, not disaster

(January 2008) The dark clouds looming over the economic landscape may appear scary, but five of Canada’s top economists say investors should not overreact to every minor scrap of news. They agree that 2008 will see a slowdown in the U.S. economy but point out that there are some bright spots that should not be […]

By Steven Lamb |January 9, 2008

4 min read

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Market Insights

Chosen one

Early last month, eating sushi in Yorkville, a young friend I’ll call Becky confided in me she was going through a personal crisis. Her usually tight-knit family was in shambles. At issue was the fact her mom wanted out of the successful family business that she and her husband started from the ground up 30 […]

By Heidi Staseson |December 19, 2007

16 min read

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Market ripe for distressed investing

(December 2007) “Buy low, sell high” is pretty much the mantra for everyone in the financial industry, but that doesn’t mean people should scoop up companies that are about to go bankrupt. Or does it? In today’s financial climate — with a number of businesses taking heavy losses, especially in the housing industry — some […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |December 14, 2007

4 min read

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Market Insights

Canadian economy to remain robust in 2008: Scotiabank

(December 2007) Despite the loonie moving “too far, too fast,” one Scotiabank economist expects both the Canadian economy and the dollar to remain strong through next year. Warren Jestin, senior vice-president and chief economist with Scotiabank, says “underlying economic fundamentals remain broadly supportive for the loonie and negative for the greenback. Against this background, we […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |December 13, 2007

4 min read

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Crocus board deserves no protection: receiver

Directors and officers of the Crocus Investment Fund “abdicated their responsibilities” to more than 33,000 shareholders, according to a new report released by the court-appointed receiver, and that has convinced Russ Holmes to push for an end to their indemnification from a class-action lawsuit. Holmes, a partner at the Winnipeg office of Deloitte, spent more […]

By Renée Alexander |November 26, 2007

6 min read

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Market Insights

Canada tops investment list: Haber

There will be a rapid growth in oil demand (particularly from developing Asian countries). Energy price hikes will negatively impact the U.S. economy. Energy costs will push the cost of other products, such as travel, consumer products and petrochemical products, such as plastic, higher. Increased demand on ethanol will push soft commodity prices higher — […]

By Romana King |November 15, 2007

4 min read

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Market Insights

Putting a number on retirement dreams

(November 2007) In my last column, I went outside of my economist background and training into some new areas for me, including extolling the virtues of creating a vision for retirement. While I firmly believe in creating a vision and having dreams for retirement, the economist in me always wants to put a number on […]

By Peter Drake |November 13, 2007

5 min read

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DSC sales bruised but not beaten

(November 2007) Since the beginning of the decade, industry observers have predicted a quick demise of the deferred sales charge option on mutual funds. While DSC may no longer be the load option of choice for advisors in Canada, it refuses to die out. This stands in stark contrast to the U.S. market, where the […]

By Mark Noble |November 1, 2007

4 min read

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Debt issuance increases thanks to maple bonds

(October 2007) A lot of people think of syrup when they hear the word Canada, but the buzz around another maple product is growing louder by the quarter. According to the Investment Industry Association of Canada, maple bonds had a stellar first six months of 2007, accounting for almost half of all corporate issuance from […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |October 30, 2007

3 min read

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Market Insights

Fund wraps’ popularity on the rise

(October 2007) For years, stand-alone mutual funds have been the investment of choice for investors seeking to mitigate risk, but the days appear to be numbered for this investment option. Fund wraps, or funds-of-funds, are gaining significant ground on their standalone counterparts. In its monthly Insight newsletter, Toronto-based research firm Investor Economics reports that fund […]

By Bryan Borzykowski |October 19, 2007

4 min read

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