Interest rates have been at historic lows for the past several years, in part due to the U.S. government’s bond-buying program designed to support the economy. Since U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke...
As a follow up to the piece we published last year titled, ETFs: Pros, Cons and Misconceptions, which compared ETFs to actively managed mutual funds we would like to highlight the article How...
What the brochures and emails don’t include are the answers to the hard questions every investor should ask when deciding who will manage their investments. It’s up to investors to educate themselves to...
Fees matter. In a good market investors have a tendency to ignore them and in challenging markets they are scrutinized, but in the end no matter what type of market we are in...
In recent months, one of the big stories in capital markets has undoubtedly been how gold is losing its lustre. Just look at the 35-per-cent collapse in the S&P/TSX Gold Index year-to-date. What...
Earlier this month, the Dow Jones Industrial average touched record highs, propelled by strong U.S. job-creation figures. That’s great news for investors whose portfolios contain plenty of U.S. equities. North of the border...
The recent federal budget has been referred to as “tight fisted” by some commentators because it contains the ”smallest increase in discretionary spending in nearly 20 years,” as Finance Minister Jim Flaherty put...
It’s RRSP season and investors are bombarded with advertisements urging them to make their contributions to all kinds of investments. The choices can be overwhelming, particularly with volatility and global debt problems affecting...
Book Value (also known as Adjusted Cost Base or ACB) is a concept that is often confusing to investors. It is used in calculating the capital gain or loss resulting from the sale...
Thomas Holloway, CFA Fixed Income Analyst In the 1964 Bond movie Goldfinger, “M” asks the hero: “What do you know about gold?” Bond replies with a wry smile, “I know it when...
You have probably heard of High Frequency Trading (HFT) in the media. It has become prevalent in our financial markets today, with some estimates suggesting that HFT makes up to 70% of the...
When there is uncertainty or volatility in the markets, the natural tendency is to try to protect your capital. The pain of a bad equity market is much worse and lasts longer than...
