Your best long term strategic investment plan is to balance your portfolio across the five main sectors of the economy: finance, utilities, consumer products and services, manufacturing and resources. Each   Read More

With our current recommendation of a 40-per-cent allocation to fixed income, and 55 per cent of that in corporates, it is worth considering using some preferred shares to boost the   Read More

Cable and wireless services fees, like bank fees and service charges, drive some people nuts. A simple way to finesse the problem is to buy the company’s stock. Both Telus   Read More

Among the oil and gas stocks included in the Money Reporter’s “Best Income Trusts For You”, we continue to find ARC Resources Ltd. the most attractive if you’re seeking a   Read More

Key stock Loblaw Companies earned more last year. It’s expected to earn significantly more this year and next. This gives the company the means to reinvest in its businesses and   Read More

The banks can suffer when longer-term interest rates are only slightly above short-term interest rates. But they can offset this by expanding their businesses, particularly with higher-yielding assets. So the   Read More

Loan demand is down and defaults are rising but the big six Canadian banks are well-positioned to weather the storm in the energy-producing areas of the country. In the meantime,   Read More

Fortis Inc. has agreed to acquire U.S. stock ITC Holdings. This company will cost a lot. But ITC should also add a lot to Fortis’ earnings and growth potential. Fortis   Read More

Jean Coutu Group’s earnings are rising very slowly. But with lots of cash and excess cash flow, this debt-free consumer goods stock can afford to continue paying rising dividends. It   Read More

The financial sector’s exposure to the energy sector is driving banking stocks down world-wide. John Stephenson is portfolio manager and President and CEO of Stephenson & Company Capital Management Inc.   Read More

McDonald’s global branding campaign based on the “i’m lovin’ it” slogan and song was clearly meant to promote the sale of its fast food products. But this dividend aristocrat’s shareholders   Read More

When consumers have to spend less on gasoline, they have more disposable cash to spend elsewhere. Two groups which benefit from low oil prices are automobile manufacturing stocks and consumer   Read More

Financial technology stock DH Corp. seems to have shaken off the aftermath of an October U.S. short seller’s research report accusing the company of engaging in accounting tricks to cover   Read More

Corus Entertainment has agreed to buy the media business of Shaw Communications. This should strengthen its position in the changing cable-TV industry. This puts the consumer stock back on buy   Read More

Toronto-based portfolio manager Mike Vinokur has named two financial stocks for his picks as currently-rated “best buys”. Canadian bank stock Scotiabank is “cheap on a P/E basis” and U.S. private   Read More

Couche-Tard has agreed to acquire Ireland’s largest convenience store and gas station operator. It should profit as its sites grow worldwide. Due to the high share price, the growing dividends   Read More

Canadian stocks are now in bear market territory. This setback gives you a chance to buy fine companies on the cheap. Follow our advice to invest both safely and profitably.   Read More

CCL Industries shares have upward momentum. This Ontario-based world class manufacturing company produces packaging products for brand-name firms. It also has facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Toromont Industries   Read More

Fortis Inc. operates as an electricity and natural gas distribution utility for residential, commercial, and industrial markets in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Equity analyst Cory O’Krainetz of   Read More

David Cockfield, Markham, Ont.-based portfolio manager and managing director of Northland Wealth Management, says determining how much a security can lose is a vital part of picking investments. He recommends   Read More

The U.S. economy is growing more quickly. So we continue to focus on U.S. companies that do lots of business at home in addition to their sales abroad. We picked   Read More

An Investment Reporter Key stock, wine producer Andrew Peller Ltd. is earning much more this year. It’s using its growing cash flow to reinvest in the business, to repay debt   Read More

From the universe of top financial stocks, we continue to advise you to buy the big five Canadian bank stocks. They’re safer than most companies, such as suffering commodities producers.   Read More

Analysts follow as many as 20 stocks, most of which are rated ‘buys’. Of those buys, an analyst has one or two special favourites seen as most suitable for new   Read More

DRIPs (Dividend Re-Investment Plans) and cash option plans let individual investors build their wealth. That’s thanks to the dozen benefits that we outline below.
Dividend Re-Investment Plans (DRIPs) can build   Read More

The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil continues to fall. OPEC launched a price war. No one knows how low oil prices will go nor for how long. But   Read More

A study shows that from 1900 to 2005, dividends produced 90 per cent of the returns of investors worldwide. So focus as much on high dividend paying stocks as on   Read More

Every month the Money Reporter publishes a comprehensive list of the best bonds to invest in including 13 Canadian corporate bonds and 38 Canadian federal and provincial government bonds and   Read More

We regularly review Saint-Georges, Quebec-based Canam Group in The Investment Reporter. Since we published our June 5 issue, its shares have fallen by 13.7 per cent. The company’s outlook, however,   Read More

High Liner Foods’ growth is slowing and its shares have been driven down into bargain stocks territory. Still, it should continue to earn and pay more. That’s why the shares   Read More

If you watched Saturday night hockey games on TV in the 1960s, you’ll remember the commercials with always friendly ‘nice guy’ Esso dealer Murray Westgate assuring you that you could   Read More

PPG Industries Inc. is a U.S.-based world class manufacturing stock supplying paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, glass and fiber glass to customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction   Read More

The stock market and commodities markets are searching for direction from forward looking indicators. John Stephenson, president and CEO of Stephenson & Company Capital Management Inc. in Toronto, and a   Read More

Headquartered in Vancouver, Finning is the biggest dealer of Caterpillar equipment in the world. In addition to British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, this Canadian global stock   Read More

The Ontario government plans to sell some of its shares of Hydro One in November. We rate this electricity transmission and distribution company as a ‘Very Conservative’ Canadian blue chip   Read More

Suncor Energy has made a hostile takeover bid for Canadian Oil Sands. Suncor offered 0.25 of its own shares for each share of COS. Both these oil and gas stocks   Read More

The Investment Reporter regularly reviews 10 engineering stocks—seven it rates as buys. We expect these companies to profit from the need to renew aging, and build new, infrastructure. The new   Read More

Telus benefits from its focus on customer service. Its wireless churn rates are the lowest in the industry. Indeed, when it comes to wireless service, management of this blue chip   Read More

We regularly review Toronto-based Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corp. Since we published our June 5 issue of The Investment Reporter, this mining stock’s shares continued to decline over the summer.
We’ve   Read More

Dividend paying stocks add stability and investment quality to your portfolio. And dividends account for a lot–maybe as much as a third to a half–of your total returns.
Many investors are   Read More

Oil and gas stocks are difficult to gauge right now. Uncertainty over the price of oil and forecasts of where prices will be a year or two from now are   Read More

We’ve added Agrium Inc. to The Investment Reporter’s  list of Key stocks. (Key stocks in The Investment Reporter’s monthly Investment Planning Guide are the main building blocks of your portfolio.)   Read More

TD Bank has reported better-than-expected Q3 earnings and its US exposure should help offset potential Canadian weakness. TD is a full financial services provider to buy for growth and income.   Read More

Assuming the global economy gradually improves, we expect corporate bonds to outperform government bonds. Straight preferreds have performed well relative to rate-reset issues and fixed-floaters, both of which have been   Read More

AutoCanada earned less in the first half of 2015. And its share price has fallen enough that it’s been reduced to the bargain basement stocks section at this price based   Read More

Resource stocks should make up at least 10 per cent of your portfolio. Buy those likely to maintain or raise their dividends. Buy companies that profit from lower commodity prices.     Read More

Despite falling short of analysts’ expectations, core earnings are still impressive. Manulife Financial Corporation is a Canadian global financial stock to buy for growth and some income.
Manulife Financial Corporation (TSX─MFC)   Read More

Selling snow to Eskimos has always been a whimsical benchmark for successful sales reps here in the Great White North. But, selling water to Californians? Creating demand is certainly not   Read More

Analysts follow as many as 20 stocks, most of which are rated “buys”. Of those buys, an analyst has one or two special favorites seen as most suitable for new   Read More

Thomson Reuters reported lower earnings in the first half of 2015. Had foreign exchange rates remained unchanged, its earnings per share would’ve gone up by 10.3 per cent. Among dividend   Read More

The resources sector of the Canadian market has plunged over the past year. Even so, there are profitable, dividend-paying resource stocks that The Investment Reporter includes amongst its best buys   Read More

Some income-seeking investors are turning to preferred dividend stocks to increase the cash they earn. But this can cost them money if they ignore the yield-to-call on older preferreds.
Some income-seeking   Read More