Today’s economic environment is difficult, but it’s not the start of a depression, according to two of Invesco Trimark’s senior portfolio managers, who say while there’s no way to sugarcoat the severity of this downturn, it’s nonetheless rife with opportunity for shrewd stock pickers. Dana Love, vice-president at Invesco Trimark and the lead manager of […]
There’s just no way to put lipstick on the pig — 2008 was quite simply a terrible year for equity fund performance. In fact, it was one of the worst years ever, according to preliminary performance data released today by Morningstar Canada. How bad was it? Morningstar calls the year a “disaster for equity funds.” […]
It’s far too early to say money managers believe the worst is over, but it certainly seems they have regained their resolve to buy stocks, a new report by Russell Investments suggests. More than 70% of Canadian managers expect positive returns for the S&P/TSX in 2009, according to the Russell Investment Manager Outlook poll for […]
If past market indicators are to be believed, the bottom of the stock market slide is likely close, according to a panel of renowned experts compiled by the CFA Institute. The problem is that this downturn is unprecedented in how it behaves, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility things could get worse. […]
The retirement dreams of more Canadians are inching further away from the blue ocean of Caribbean winters and looking more like the blue smock donned by Wal-Mart employees, a survey by Desjardins Financial Security suggests. More than 3,500 Canadians took part in two surveys, one that was held in the summer, and the other in […]
High inflation strikes fear into the hearts of many economists, but its polar opposite, deflation, can be a far scarier beast as it heralds a full-out decline in asset prices, which kill productivity and growth. It appears that prices in the U.S. have indeed shifted into reverse gear, likely leading to a period of deflationary […]
Almost two-thirds of Canadian pre-retirees are worried about outliving their money, but once they’re well into retirement, the fear subsides, according to a new survey conducted by Russell Investments and Harris/Decima Research. The survey of 2,200 Canadians found that only 40% of respondents felt comfortable about their financial health in the first year of retirement. […]
In one quick move, the entire wealth management industry in Canada has been transformed. Sun Life has agreed to sell its 37% stake in CI Financial Income Fund to Scotiabank. The sale has made Scotiabank a big player in wealth management overnight and presumably gives CI the distribution network it has so long desired to […]
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted in favour of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, more commonly referred to as the Wall Street bailout package. The move is being greeted as a positive step in stabilizing financial and credit markets. The plan needs time to work, and for investors, that means patience and […]
While most of the country’s major insurers have revealed their exposure to AIG assets, it’s not worrying the industry. If anything, the crisis in the U.S. has highlighted the strength of Canada’s large insurance companies, which have much stronger balance sheets than many of their U.S. counterparts. The country’s three largest insurers, Manulife Financial, Sun […]