Asset allocation

Canadian investors flock to safe assets

No surprise: clients aren’t feeling bullish. From May 2002 to May 2011, investors pulled $29 billion from Canadian equity funds, according to Investor Economics.

By Melissa Shin |September 22, 2011

2 min read

Products

Back to the land: Investing in real estate

Real estate can do more than keep the rain off your client. It can form a solid foundation in an income portfolio, shelter your client from inflation, and smooth volatility.

By Staff |September 20, 2011

5 min read

Industry

How to position real estate in the portfolio

Introducing a new asset class to the mix takes some finesse to avoid overwhelming investors with too many products. It also requires some “know how” to find the right investment.

By Rayann Huang |September 8, 2011

3 min read

Industry

Almost There: A Special Report on Retirement

The first Canadian baby boomers have hit official retirement age; soon their ranks will swell. Many advisors built their practices around accumulating wealth for these clients. Now comes the tricky part: planning for the actual retirement phase.

By Staff |September 8, 2011

4 min read

Use property as an inflation shelter

For investors, finding an investment that keeps up with inflation is serious business: the cost of living just keeps rising. An investment that captures the rate of inflation in its return is a necessity.

By Rayann Huang |September 7, 2011

3 min read

Europe’s woes to continue

The debt crisis in the Eurozone periphery and the political debate over the debt ceiling in the U.S. are a “hangover from a rip-roaring, pre-crisis party” in much of the developed world. In a reversal of fortunes, many troubles of the developing economies are now the plights of the developed world, according to Philip Poole, […]

By Vikram Barhat |August 24, 2011

3 min read

Stick to gold and equities, avoid bonds

While there’s always a chance of catastrophe, the odds of an all-out financial Apocalypse are pretty long, according to Jurrien Timmer, director of global macro research and portfolio co-manager of the Fidelity Tactical Strategies Fund. In a recent webcast, he explained why he’s overweight equities and precious metals at the expense of investment grade bonds. […]

4 min read

Tactical asset allocation

Should investors chisel their portfolios onto granite and wait them out for the long haul, regardless of what happens in the markets on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis? Or should money managers take a more flexible approach to the way they slice up their clients’ asset class percentages? Two top portfolio managers answer this question by explaining the difference between strategic and tactical asset allocation, and how and when to employ the latter.

7 min read

Pensions post meagre Q2 gains: survey

Faltering global equity markets largely erased fixed income advances within pension funds during the June quarter, according to a survey just released by RBC Dexia Investor Services. Within the $340 billion RBC Dexia universe, Canadian pension assets rose 0.2% in the three months ending June 2011, nudging year-to-date performance to 2.2%. “Concerns over the resilience […]

By Staff |July 21, 2011

2 min read