Mackenzie U.S. Large Cap Class
Over the past few quarters, I have noticed an uptick in the valuation levels in the portfolio, which has corresponded with higher volatility and an overall erosion in the risk reward metrics of the fund. The managers use an approach that is a mix of top down thematic with bottom up security selection, which gives it a bit of a growth tilt that has strongly outperformed over the past few years....
Read MoreIA Clarington Canadian Conservative Equity Fund
This is a fund I have struggled with for a few quarters now. I originally like it because of its conservative nature, decent returns, and lower than average levels of volatility. To do this, the managers focus on well-managed, high quality Canadian companies that pay an above average dividend that is not only sustainable, but also growing. One of the risks of this strategy was over time, it became fairly concentrated in energy. More specifically, it invested heavily in energy infrastructure such as pipelines – the types of names that historically exhibited much less commodity sensitivity. However, when the energy swoon hit last year, investors sold off anything related to energy, including many of the names held in this fund. The result was a significant increase in volatility and levels of downside participation that were uncharacteristic for this fund.
Read MoreTop Funds Report – May 2016
Download a PDF Copy of this report . U.S. Fed May Move Rates in June Inflation worries more troubling than the prospect of lower global growth… Earlier this week, the U.S. Federal Reserve Board released the minutes from their late April policy meeting, signaling to traders that a June interest rate increase is not out of the question, if economic data supports it. Citing stronger...
Read MoreApril 2016 Portfolio Review
It was a tough month for the portfolios, with each finishing the month of April in negative territory, and each lagging their respective benchmarks. 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...
Read MoreSocially Responsible Investing Report – April 2016
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 April 2016...
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