AGF Monthly High Income Fund
With two thirds of the fund invested in equities, combined with an overweight allocation to energy and materials, it is not hard to see why this was the worst performing balanced fund on our list in the fourth quarter. It lost 5%, while each of the other picks on the list were in positive territory. While the equity sleeve was aggressively positioned with a cyclical bent, the fixed income sleeve...
Read MorePH&N Total Return Bond Fund
With more cuts to interest rates expected from the Bank of Canada, this high quality bond fund becomes my top pick. At the end of December, it had a duration of 7.3 years, which is slightly less than the 7.6 years of the FTSE TMX Canadian Universe Bond Index. The fund itself is very much like the stalwart PH&N Bond Fund, except the managers have a little more flexibility which allows them to...
Read MoreDynamic Advantage Bond Fund
When it had appeared that interest rates in Canada were likely going to rise, the defensive positioning of this fund resulted in it being my top bond fund pick. With a shorter duration and more conservative asset mix, it was well positioned to withstand the increased volatility in the bond market, and was expected to hold up better when yields started to rise. That all changed a few weeks ago...
Read MoreTop Funds Report – February 2015
Download a PDF Version of this report Bank of Canada Shocks Markets Surprise 25 basis point cut surprises everyone. More cuts expected Last month, Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz shocked everyone by cutting its key overnight lending rate by 25 basis points. In a statement, Mr. Poloz cited the potential economic damage caused by falling oil prices as the main reason for the...
Read MoreJanuary 2015 Portfolio Review
You can download our standard monthly portfolio report here. For those looking for even more detail, I am also providing additional reports generated from Morningstar which show even more detail regarding the portfolios. A summary report can be downloaded here, while the more detailed report can be downloaded here. It was a solid start to year, with each of the portfolios well into positive...
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