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

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

In the second quarter of 2015, the value of takeovers in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector topped US$1 trillion. And now Montreal-based drug giant Valeant Pharmaceuticals is offering US$1 billion   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

Like Al Capp’s satirical comic strip character Joe Btfsplk, SNC-Lavalin seems to have a small dark rain cloud perpetually over its head. Joe was a well-meaning soul who seemed to   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

Procter & Gamble: The street says ‘hold’. We say ‘buy’. This dividend aristocrat is one of a few dividend kings—stocks that have raised their dividends for more than 50 consecutive   Read More

Healthcare stock Johnson & Johnson offers attractive, rising dividends. It’s what’s known as a “dividend aristocrat”. In the U.S., that’s a firm that has hiked its dividend for at least   Read More

This summer is shaping up to be one where macroeconomic trends will bulk large. Elvis Picardo, vice president, research, as well as portfolio manager, at Global Securities in Vancouver, identifies   Read More

Some lesser-developed countries look attractive. But investing abroad exposes you to considerable risks. So your strategic investment objectives should include finding safer ways to profit. One is to buy the   Read More

Headquartered in Toronto, Barrick is one of the world’s largest gold mining companies boasting operations in Canada, the U.S., Chile, Argentina, Zambia, Australia and Saudi Arabia. Jorge Beristain, a New   Read More

ShawCor Ltd. remains a buy. It can prosper despite lower oil and natural gas prices—this impacts only a quarter of its revenue. And this oil services sector company operates worldwide.   Read More

The Investment Reporter has upgraded U.S. tech stock IBM from a hold to a buy. IBM should leave behind its recent rough patch and earn record profits next year. It’s   Read More

We’ve often noted the advantage of small mutual funds. Most notably, they have greater flexibility to make significant portfolio changes without affecting the stock market. Then too, a single winning,   Read More

With oil prices still low, it’s more crucial than ever for an energy play to keep its costs down if it wants to make money. Canadian Natural Resources Limited., a   Read More

ADRs (American Depositary Receipts) make it easy for you to buy overseas companies and provide you with an extra measure of safety that you would not get with a direct   Read More

Conglomerates often get a bad rap for being a jack of all trades. But for investors seeking diversification, these multi-sector stocks can be just the ticket. That’s the word from   Read More

McDonald’s, a high-dividend-paying multinational corporation, is trying to revive its results—as it always has. When it does, the shares will jump. Meanwhile, it also remains a buy for its high   Read More

John Stephenson, portfolio manager and president of Toronto-based Stephenson & Company Capital Management Inc., says the recent dramatic decline in the greenback is unlikely to be sustained for an extended   Read More

Examine the risk-versus-reward relationship of a security before you take the plunge. Strategic investment planning starts with an honest appraisal of your own risk tolerance.
There are many investments you can   Read More

Manufacturing stock General Electric will focus on its technology and advanced manufacturing businesses. It’s disposing of most of its financial companies. It remains a buy for high dividends and long-term   Read More

GE Capital’s assets are seen as a good fit for TD Bank. But Toronto-Dominion is likely to face competition from other financial sector companies if it submits a bid.
At first   Read More

Former Investor’s Digest of Canada editor Carlyle Dunbar argues that deflation is on its way. But when? In the meantime large-cap healthcare and information technology stocks are now starring on   Read More

Tim Hortons-Burger King merger likely just the beginning for Oakville, Ont.-based parent, consumer goods stock Restaurant Brands International Inc.
Analysts at Vancouver-headquartered Odlum Brown are serving up a “buy” recommendation for   Read More

It’s late to sell cheaper Canadian stocks, convert to pricey U.S. dollars and buy costlier U.S. stocks. This strategy is apt to backfire. Many of The Investment Reporter’s Key Canadian   Read More

Growth stock Alimentation Couche-Tard released stronger earnings for the nine months to February 1. It has also agreed to acquire 315 service stations in Denmark from A/S Dansk Shell. This   Read More

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.  is a publicly traded limited partnership that engages in the acquisition and management of infrastructure investments on a global basis. Its current business consists of the   Read More

Johnson & Johnson has gone through a spate of recent problems, but its size, earnings record, dividend record, productivity and R & D still make this healthcare solutions giant a   Read More

Two Canadian companies with a global reach─one focused on tangible assets, the other on intangible assets─are rated ‘best buys’. These two Canadian multinationals are most suitable for new buying now.
When   Read More

In mid-2015 Baxter will split into two companies. One will focus on medical products for healthcare solutions; the other on developing and marketing biopharmaceuticals.
On March 9, there was an anniversary   Read More

The European Central Bank, or ECB, ushered in a new era by launching an aggressive bond-buying program in January. The euro zone is one of the global economy’s biggest trouble   Read More

We continue to include Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (TSX─POT; NYSE─POT), among our best buys for income.

In December we wrote, “It’s important to hold some resources stocks for proper diversification. The   Read More

Investment Analyst Murray Leith likes the way the new executive team at Manulife Financial Corp. (TSX─MFC) has turned things around. For starters, he says, they’ve used hedging to take a   Read More

PPG Industries (NYSE─PPG), one of our U.S. Key stocks, earned record profits in 2014. It’s expected to earn more this year and next. The world’s leading coatings and specialty-materials company   Read More

It’s the job of any financial writer to see through fresh eyes, to look for traps and false assumptions in the world of money. Investors who weathered the stormy bear markets of 2000 to 2003 and 2008 to 2009 know only too well what can happen to the unwary.   Read More

 Alimentation Couche-Tard (TSX—ATD.B), one of our Key stocks, is acquiring The Pantry in the U.S. That company operates 1,512 convenience stores in 13 states. This transaction is large. But given   Read More

Emerging markets have taken it on the chin lately. But this doesn’t mean it’s time to jump ship. For value-oriented folks, these markets are still good places in which to   Read More

This past year, 2014, was a difficult one for Europe. According to estimates provided by The Economist, the euro area is likely to have grown just 0.8 per cent for   Read More

Alimentation Couche-Tard is earning record profits again. We expect the company to earn record profits this year and next. It remains a buy for further long-term gains and small but   Read More

For Deutsche Bank analysts Sherri Scribner, Larry Zhong and Joakim Mahlberg, Toronto-based Celestica Inc. (CLS–TSX; CLS–NYSE) remains a “hold.” They report:

For the third quarter of fiscal 2014, Celestica had sales   Read More

Wall Street strategists have started to issue their 2015 forecasts. And if a report by Goldman Sachs is any indication of the forecasts to follow, you might want to forget   Read More

Magna International is profiting from a strong demand for cars. It should earn more money this year and next. It remains a buy for further gains and rising dividends.

Vehicle manufacturers   Read More

 Headquartered in Toronto, Barrick Gold Corporation is the world’s biggest gold producer, boasting a range of operations around the globe. But for Deutsche Bank analysts Jorge Beristain and Wilfredo Ortiz,   Read More

American Depositary Receipts, or ADRs, give you ownership in companies based outside of Canada and the U.S. This can give you several benefits. One is diversification—geo-political and industrial. It’s tempting   Read More

Plunging petroleum prices may have chilled the oil patch and the halls of government alike. But they’ve given investors a heaven-sent opportunity to scoop up some best-of-breed outfits in the   Read More

Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin is one of the world’s leading engineering and construction groups and a major owner of infrastructure. It provides services in a variety of sectors including oil and gas,   Read More

Equity analyst Dan Hincks of Vancouver-based investment firm Odlum Brown sees significant upside in the shares of Visa Inc. (V—NYSE). He reiterates his “buy” recommendation and 12-month target price of   Read More

Ethiopia might be the last place an outfit like Bombardier Inc. (BBD.B–TSX) would look for business.

After all, its stock in trade — zippy business jets and high-speed rail passenger cars   Read More

What impresses Barry Schwartz about Gerald Soloway, CEO of Home Capital Group Inc. (HCG–TSX) is his commitment — and, obviously his love of what he does.

After all, Mr. Soloway may   Read More

The supply of oil and gas has risen. The demand growth for oil and gas has decreased. Both factors have sent down the price of oil. West Texas Intermediate—North America’s   Read More

“In the stock market — or in any widely traded market — there’s an inevitable fact of life: bear markets happen. It’s a topic I’d just as soon avoid. After   Read More

Great-West Financial, a subsidiary of Great-West Lifeco, a member of the Power family, has completed the acquisition of the J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services large-market recordkeeping business. Great-West considers the   Read More