The active vs. passive debate has been raging for years now and there’s no denying the data of recent years certainly favours passive. Based off the annual SPIVA report from S&P, 2018 was no different. Only 36% of large cap U.S. equity funds managed to best the S&P 500. [...]
Unlike some attractive investments, gold tends to shine the brightest during times of market turmoil. Our macro view places us in the late stage of the market cycle and we expect bouts of volatility to be more common and violent. This week we’re talking gold and why we recommend [...]
It’s pretty amazing to see the TSX Composite now at just 4% below its all time high. A far cry from the oversold level of December 24 when the index was 17% off. The pattern is almost identical for the S&P 500, briefly touching 20% below its high and [...]
Now that the markets have bounced back and investor nerves are calmed, we can finally write about something less market / economic centric. Given the big market drop in Q4 and the big recovery in January, we wanted to emphasize the importance of staying invested and how going down [...]
Earnings With just over 100 companies reported so far in the U.S. and the bulk of the Canadian earnings season just around the corner, we thought it fitting to have a look at how the season is progressing and what it’s all about. Earnings are the beating heart of valuation [...]
Just a heads up: we will soon be publishing our Market Outlook for 2019 and beyond, entitled “Punch bowl hangover”. In the report, we provide a recap of 2018, a bull vs bear comparison for 2019, our baseline scenario, how we are positioned and a refresh on the Canadian [...]
What a week for the markets. As fears that the world’s two largest economies would continue to escalate their trade war subsided, we began our week thinking the worst was behind us. Our expectations were shattered on Tuesday when the S&P 500 took a nose dive, falling as much [...]
On January 1 of this year, the S&P 500 had just completed 2017 which enjoyed record operating earnings of $124.50. With just one quarter to go, if current estimates hold for the final quarter, the S&P 500 will set another record of $157.70 in earnings for 2018, an increase [...]
For decades, the foundational bedrock of portfolio management has been asset allocation, essentially how your investments are diversified across different asset classes. Undoubtedly, the asset mix will remain the most important decision when building and managing portfolios for decades to come. It is not going away. While an increasing [...]
For most grown-ups, Halloween isn’t all that scary but stock market corrections are, and we are in one now. The TSX Composite, S&P 500, NASDAQ and the Russell 2000 small-cap index are all down more than 10% from their recent highs. The Dow is holding on, but just by [...]
Market cycles don’t die of old age, and that is good news as this cycle can only be described as being “rather mature”. Just a reminder, we do not view the market cycle in terms of bull and bear markets for a specific index (otherwise one could argue the Canadian [...]
We have been long-time proponents of rising rates, that equity portfolios should be tilted heavily toward cyclical yield and limit exposure to interest rate sensitive companies. Cyclical yield companies are more sensitive to economic activity, meaning if yields are moving higher due to better economic data, they react more [...]
We believe three factors drive stock prices: fundamentals, technical analysis and human behaviour (market psychology). Fundamentals tend to play out and are the driving force of long-term results, technical analysis can help you manage the turn, but flow in human behaviour can dominate all else and drive prices far [...]
When starting in the investment industry a few decades back, style investing was rapidly rising in popularity. Growth and value were the most prominent but now there are many more varieties of investment “styles” including momentum, size and dividends, just to mention a few. Another term that became pertinent [...]
The S&P 500 has just about completed its best reporting season in a heck of a long time, with growth in earnings of 25% and sales of 10%. It’s hard to complain. Not to be outdone, the TSX is on track to post 20% earnings growth and 16% sales [...]
What is a bias? While the word certainly carries a negative connotation, it is essentially a preconceived opinion or feeling. Sometimes these opinions are based on accurate, objective and balanced information. Other times, they are based on inaccurate or isolated information. [REITs] Q2 hedge fund letters, conference, scoops etc Our minds create biases [...]
In an ideal world, any important decision we make in life would go through a rigorous and disciplined process, designed to lead us to the answer most likely to be correct or of greatest probability weighted benefit. This would include assessing all potential options available, the potential outcomes of [...]
Anecdotally, most market practitioners and investors likely believe that the market often overreacts to news. This happens often around earnings announcements, when a company surprises to either the upside or downside and the share price reacts materially. Q1 hedge fund letters, conference, scoops etc, Also read Lear Capital: Financial Products [...]
Abstract: Investors are often most at ease buying a stock with a high percentage of analyst BUY recommendations. This is herd behaviour bias in action; that is, the tendency to feel more comfortable belonging to the consensus or the herd. In reality, companies with fewer BUY recommendations have historically [...]
The U.S. 10-year Treasury is yielding 2.93% (noon April 20) and after a brief reprieve, appears to be rising once again nearing the 3.0% level. Now a number of market chatters have pointed to 3% as a critical threshold, from a resistance level and for a potential negative feedback [...]
All you really need to know is whether or not there will be a recession in the next six months. Ok, that is an exaggeration but bear with us. Since about 1950, the average monthly return for the S&P 500 is about 0.7%. What Is Next After Libor Explained That works [...]
Canadian houses have caught the eye of global investors following decades of consistent growth and all but a slight decline during the great recession. Then as home prices started catching fire, foreign money started pouring in, leading to provincial governments in British Columbia and Ontario to step in to [...]
