Behavioural finance analyst Ken Norquay ponders a dilemma: For stock market investors, negative news about the economy is good—positive news is bad. Go figure.
Skeptics like to say: “Seeing is believing.”   Read More

“Shop as if you were buying a car”
“I don’t know about you,” said Tom, our most seasoned investor, “but when I was ready to start buying stocks, I really   Read More

Companies that raise their dividends each year enable you to beat inflation and maintain or improve your lifestyle over the long haul. The 16 dividend stocks below remain buys.
Stocks that   Read More

 The Money Reporter has added Fidelity Canadian Large Cap Fund to its top-40 list of Canada’s best mutual funds.
Fidelity Canadian Large Cap (Series B fund code: FID231 (FE)) aims to   Read More

These days you hear a lot about “enhancing shareholder value”. That is, managements of many firms want their shares to perform well. Management, of course, has a fair bit of   Read More

There appears to be lots of cheer as the markets keep rising. But the 200-day moving average suggests this is a bear . . . in bull’s clothing. Understanding institutional   Read More

Investors should diversify across many ‘asset classes’. One of these asset classes, of course, is fixed-income investments, like bonds. The trouble is, with interest rates so low (even on long-term   Read More

There’s seldom a compelling reason to recommend a fund that’s been operating for less than about three years. That’s because new funds often involve unknown management, have no portfolio and   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

Toromont Industries remains a buy. This manufacturing company’s stock has raised its dividends for 26 years in a row. This attracts income-seeking investors. The company’s growing earnings should lead to   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

Any investor may occasionally see his strategy fail to keep up with others. An investor with a proven record of success, however, can expect that with time his strategy will   Read More

New digital initiatives, such as the “buy online, pick up in store” sales channel, are important drivers in attracting long-term, repeat customers.
After speaking with Home Depot Inc.’s (NYSE─HD) management, equity   Read More

Every month Money Reporter subscribers know where they can get the best GIC, RRSP, Term Deposit and Money Market interest rates in Canada.
GIC rates continued to fall following the Bank   Read More

Many mutual-fund management companies offer services that can help investors organize their affairs. Some of these services may be of great assistance to the investor, while others tend to benefit the fund company more.   Read More

Although cheap gas is great for motorists, it could wreak havoc with Canada’s energy sector, as well as the market for junk bonds.
Central banks throughout the West last year found   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

Is your self confidence waning? Do you feel you may be better off putting your money in a mutual fund and leaving stock selection to the fund’s professional managers? You   Read More

Investing for current income requires an entirely different way of thinking than does investing for growth. But mutual funds that offer current income as their main purpose still report their   Read More

With the recent plunge in petroleum prices, PFB Corp. (TSX─PFB) is likely laughing all the way to the bank. That, at least, is what Don Walker might tell you.

Mr. Walker   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

Mention Tahoe and you might think of the lake — specifically, the resort on the California-Nevada border that’s popular with skiers.

And although Michael Curran, Toronto-based managing director and research analyst   Read More

 “As a technical analyst, I tend to avoid making longer-term predictions about markets, sectors or commodity prices. I find that forecasting market movements or events out beyond a few months   Read More

Metro Inc. (TSX─MRU) did well in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Its sales and earnings per share climbed. The company is expected to earn more for the full year.   Read More

Often a small mutual fund is able to outperform large funds by getting a couple of big winners early on. This may attract the attention of investors who can quickly   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

 What to do about bonds

Canadian bonds have produced strong total returns so far this year. The FTSE Universe Bond Index, which covers over 1,300 Canadian bonds, has returned 3.5 per   Read More

Putting money into your Registered Retirement Savings Plan, or RRSP, is a great way to start planning for your retirement. And there’s no better time to start thinking about your   Read More

“The good times are over.” So says Bill Gross, a co-founder of the world’s largest bond company, Pacific Investment Management Co., which is better known by its diminutive, “PIMCO.” Mr.   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

If you’re like many people, you’ve rushed into your bank near the end of February and put as much as you could manage into an RRSP. You may have made   Read More

National Bank’s (TSX─NA) net income, earnings per share and total revenues all increased in fiscal 2014. Indeed, for all three of these measures of financial performance, 2014 marked the twelfth   Read More

 In the first quarter of fiscal 2016, Shaw Communications’ existing businesses generated lower revenue and operating income than a year earlier. But newly-acquired ViaWest offset the shortfall.

The company has   Read More

 One day, the Cassandras are warning us we’re about to run out of oil; the next day, we’re glutted with the stuff and the price is plunging.

So says Sunil Vidyarthi,   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

Recent market action indicates why it’s essential to hold Canadian equity index ETFs as part of a larger, well-diversified portfolio. Heavy concentration in just a few industry sectors makes Canadian   Read More

Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. (TSX─WB) showed some pretty impressive slope side action during its fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 according to Sheila Broughton, managing director and head of research at   Read More

TD Bank Group’s (TSX—TD; NYSE–TD) fourth-quarter results and outlook were greeted with horror by investors. They promptly punished the bank’s stock by selling it and causing the shares to fall   Read More

PotashCorp (TSX—POT; NYSE–POT) is a buy for long-term price gains and high dividends that have risen each year since 2010.

Potash says it is “the world’s largest crop nutrient company and   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

Montreal-based Gildan Activewear Inc. (TSX—GIL; NYSE—GIL) earned more in the year to October 5. It expects to earn more in the year ahead. This supplier of branded basic family apparel   Read More

Where should you put new money now?

Continue to add to stock funds, emphasizing diversified, conservative offerings. Longer-term, risk-tolerant investors may want to be more aggressive with specialized funds.

We think the   Read More

Puts and calls may seem a little bit exotic at first, but their potential to earn you some handsome extra income may well be worth it.

At the Money Reporter, we   Read More

Dividend Re-Investment Plans, or “DRIPs,” can assist you in building your wealth. You can instruct companies with DRIPs to reinvest your dividends into new shares. You can build your wealth   Read More

Hamilton, Ont.-based Ken Norquay is a CMT (Chartered Market Technician) and the author of the behavioural finance book Beyond the Bull which discusses the impact of your personality on your   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

Canadian small-cap stocks have lost ground this year, but IA Clarington Canadian Small Cap Fund has bucked the trend. Its strong, consistent track record and relatively low volatility makes it,   Read More

For Odlum Brown analyst Steven Zicherman, Constellation Software Inc. (CSU–TSX) is definitely a star. Based in Toronto, Constellation Software buys, runs and grows business software. It boasts more than 30,000   Read More

Although many investors buy the units of real estate investment trusts, or REITS, and other high dividend-paying stocks for their attractive income — and maybe also for capital appreciation —   Read More

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam-based Peter Pham wrote recently in Investor’s Digest of Canada that the Greenback’s growing strength shows continued confidence in the American economy. He told readers how   Read More

Metro Inc. earned more in fiscal 2014, which sent its share up. This supermarket chain is expected to earn more in fiscal 2015 (which began on September 28) and fiscal   Read More

A criticism of the standard market capitalization-weighted exchange-traded fund, or ETF, is that it mimics an index that gives greater weight to stocks that are high in demand among investors,   Read More