January 2013 Market Recap

2013 Starts out Strong for Equity Markets

2013 started out very well with all major equity markets in positive territory. The S&P/TSX Composite Index gained 2.25% during the month, but lagged its global brethren. The S&P 500 gained 5.73% in Canadian dollar terms, while the MSCI EAFE Index rose by 5.74%. In fact, the S&P 500 had its best month since October 2011 and it was its biggest January gain since 1997.

In the U.S., much of the rise was justified after lawmakers reached an agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff and agreed to push back the debt ceiling talks until at least May. This buoyed investor sentiment and allowed them to focus more on the fundamentals, which showed that the economy is continuing on its slow growth trajectory.

Globally, it was again Europe leading the charge as signs of life are slowly returning to the region’s moribund economy. Manufacturing activity was moderately higher, inflation moderated and the jobless rate   remained stable. These factors combined to give investors reason to cheer.

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January Fund Ranking Report

Each month, we analyze more than 1200 mutual funds, pooled funds, and hedge funds putting them through our proprietary quantitative valuation model. We then prepare our Monthly Fund Ranking Report which rates and ranks each of the funds in our universe.

You can download our January 31, 2013 Investment Fund Ranking Report here.

January Socially Responsible Investing Report 

With environmental and human rights concerns becoming more important to people, interest in the Socially Responsible Investing segment has never been stronger. In an effort to help keep investors and advisors informed on the SRI funds available, we have created our monthly Socially Responsible Investing Fund Report, which will be published on a monthly basis.

You can download the January 31, 2013 Socially Responsible Investing Report here.

January WRAP Funds Report 

Fund of Fund or WRAP funds have consistently led the mutual funds sales stats in the past few years. Investor and advisor interest in the products are at an all time high, given the unprecedented levels of market volatility and uncertainty that is prevalent in the markets today. To help you zero in on the best WRAP funds available, we have created our new Monthly WRAP Funds Report that will be published on a monthly basis. If there is a WRAP fund that you would like to see added to this report, please contact us and we will add it for our next edition.

You can download the January 31, 2013 WRAP Fund Report here

January Portfolio Review 

In addition to posting strong positive gains, all portfolios managed to outpace their respective benchmarks. The Manulife Strategic Income Fund, CI Harbour Fund and Renaissance   Global Health Care Fund added to the outperformance, while the Mackenzie Ivy Foreign Equity Fund was the biggest detractor. The risk reward profiles of all of the portfolios remain with expected ranges.

You can download our detailed Portfolio Review here.