Knowledge Centre

Many investors do not see much for the future prospects for stocks. Of course, the same was being said of the market in early 2009 when the world was thought to be on the edge of financial ruin. The reality was that the first part of 2009 may turn out...

For some, desperate times will lead to desperate and somewhat speculative measures. After years of low interest rates have led to limited success in achieving meaningful economic growth, more central banks have recognized that this mechanism is not working. So whether it is insanity, impotence or desperation, a growing number...

The financial markets are producing very few bargains these days for investors. Everybody likes a bargain but with current valuations across the financial markets ranging from fair to very expensive, the keys to success are in choosing the right entry point and the best securities.

There is an old story about a visitor to New York who is admiring the yachts belonging to the bankers and stock brokers and innocently asks ‘Where are the customers' yachts?' Apparently there were none since the clients could not afford them because of the high banking and stock brokerage...

Most investors know that passive Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are low cost investment vehicles, correct? Well, almost right! Passive ETFs are designed to track a benchmark index or market at a low cost. ETFs may be relatively cheap from a Management Expense Ratio (MER) perspective but the costs don’t stop...

Canadian equities appear to have entered into a new stealth bull market with a cyclical rally apparently having begun on April 28, 2016. The potential reasons for this occurring are as wide and varied as the pundits’ opinions on whether or not there is a new bull market. Of course...

Dramatic and sudden declines in stock markets are both rare and painful initially. Many times they are the final straw for quite a few investors who decide it is time to throw in the towel and head for the sidelines. However, investors should keep in mind that this is likely...

Something very rare occurred on February the 12th, 16th and 17th as the S&P/TSX stock market index gained more than 1.4% per day for three consecutive days. Since 1980 this has only happened nine other times. The interesting aspect is that it has historically triggered an extraordinarily large surge in the value...

History has a way of repeating itself and it might be about to deliver a welcome relief from the Canadian stock market turmoil in the form of a turning point in what has been a one-sided slide since mid-April of 2015. Investors who are fearful should keep in mind what...

In theory rising interest rates spell trouble for stocks but history confirms that equity market returns have varied significantly following an initial central bank rate hike. This is because not all interest rate hikes are equal. An increase is more meaningful if the starting point is 0.5% as opposed to...