Investments

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

1990s Redux: Volatility may be back

(September 2006) In the 1990s, investors and advisors, out of necessity, learned to be Fedwatchers. The unexpected rise in interest rates in 1994 hammered bond funds. An observation on “irrational exuberance” by U.S. Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan in 1995 precipitated a market pullback. Currency shocks in 1997 and 1998 made U.S. Treasury bills a […]

By Scot Blythe |September 1, 2006

3 min read

Decorative pattern

Norshield report to come in September

(August 2006) The potential recoveries aren’t looking any better for Olympus hedge fund investors, nor is the principal cooperating quite as much as he has privately told investors, says RSM Richter in its latest update. Richter is the receiver for the whole Norshield complex of hedge funds and private equity investments. Canadian retail investors put […]

By Scot Blythe |August 8, 2006

8 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Retention proves trickier than sales

Despite strong gross sales performance across the industry, many mutual fund manufacturers are facing an uphill struggle in retaining assets, according to the July edition of Investor Economics Insight. In some years, strong sales have helped to mask the problem. While redemptions have been increasing in dollar terms, inflows have been growing at a faster […]

By Steven Lamb |August 1, 2006

5 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Asian markets maturing slowly

Investors looking to make a quick buck in Asia may very well reach that goal, but the developing economies of the region should really be considered as a long-term opportunity, according to managers who specialize in that part of the world. The Asia-Pacific region is still largely seen as risky and extremely volatile by outside […]

By Steven Lamb |July 14, 2006

4 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Investment hybrids

(July 2006) The theorem “keep ’em separate” no longer applies. As baby boomers begin to retire, expect to see more product innovations that combine investments with insurance. Annuities or segregated funds are only the beginning, says Moshe Milevsky, executive director of the Individual Finance and Insurance Decision and associate professor of finance at York University […]

By Deanne N. Gage |June 30, 2006

5 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Foreign equity funds gaining popularity

There is growing evidence that Canadian investors are taking advantage of the foreign property rule abolition, as the monthly Investor Economics’ Insight reports increasing popularity for this category through the first four months of this year. Mutual fund sales in general were positive in April, despite softer market performance, bucking the negative-flows trend of recent […]

By Steven Lamb |June 2, 2006

2 min read

Decorative pattern

Rational exuberance: The bubble that wasn’t

(May 2006) Here’s a fact: the late 1990s were a time of irrational exuberance (said Alan Greenspan, no less), with more froth than Lake Ontario in a hurricane. When the floor dropped on the markets many investors were mauled and markets are just now recovering from these historic lows. But this flies in the face […]

By Pierre Saint-Laurent |May 26, 2006

4 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Seeking the optimal mix

(May 2006) Even though the foreign property rule has been gone for more than a year, many advisors are still reluctant to overhaul their clients’ registered account and boost foreign holdings. You might want to look to institutional investors for guidance. Bruce Curwood is director of research and strategy for institutional solutions at Russell Investments […]

By Steven Lamb |May 19, 2006

3 min read

Decorative pattern

Market Insights

Provincial debt unique in global market

(May 2006) While there is little tolerance for deficit spending among Canadian taxpayers, the fact that our provinces are able to do this in the first place has, ironically, saved taxpayers billions in lower interest charges. “Canadian provinces have more autonomy than almost any other sub-national governments anywhere else in the world,” said David Rubinoff, […]

By Steven Lamb |May 12, 2006

4 min read

Decorative pattern

Real returns

(May 2006) Traditional asset allocation typically divides a client’s portfolio between stocks, bonds and cash, with some fine-tuning around allocations of global versus Canadian, small cap versus large cap, and growth versus value stocks. Most advisors design their recommended portfolios around this approach for both funds and securities. What we tend to overlook is the […]

By John Nicola |May 5, 2006

8 min read

← Previous 1 … 610 611 612 613 614 Next →