HSBC Equity Fund
This large cap focused offering has a portfolio that looks very much like the S&P/TSX Composite, except for a slight underweight in materials and a modest overweight position in financials. The top ten is filled with many household names including the big banks, Suncor Energy and Canadian National Railway. The investment approach has been fairly patient, with portfolio turnover averaging 20% or so for the past five years.
Read MoreRBC O’Shaughnessy U.S. Value Fund
Fund Company RBC Global Asset Management Fund Type U.S. Equity Rating C Style Value Risk Level High Load Status Optional RRSP/RRIF Suitability Good TFSA Suitability Good Manager Jim O’Shaughnessy since November 1997 MER 1.53% Code RBF 552 – No Load Units RBF 776 – Front End Units RBF 134 – Low Load Units Minimum Investment $500 Analysis: In managing this U.S. equity fund, Jim O’Shaughnessy uses...
Read MoreNational Bank Global Equity
Since the new management team of Nadim Rizk and Andrew Chan of Fiera Capital took over this fund a little more than a year ago, the performance has definitely turned around. It had previously been a laggard, and was perennially in the bottom half of the category, while lately it has been firmly in the upper half of the category.
Read MoreFirst Asset Canadian Dividend Opportunities
Originally launched as a closed end fund in 2010, it was converted into a mutual fund in April of last year. Since its launch, it has done a tremendous job of delivering above average returns with below average risk.
Read MoreDynamic Advantage Bond Fund
Managed by the team of Michael McHugh and Dominic Bellissimo, we believe this fund is well positioned for the current interest rate environment. First, it is heavily weighted to corporate bonds, with some exposure to high yield. This will increase the yield generated by the portfolio, allowing for higher returns in a flat rate environment and better downside protection when rates move higher. Second, approximately 10% of the fund is in investment grade foreign bonds, which will lower the sensitivity to Canadian interest rates. Third, the manager is actively working to control duration by using a number of strategies including selling long bonds, selling bond futures short and the use of floating rate notes.
Read MoreSentry Growth & Income Fund
I don’t know that it would have been possible to find a more inopportune time to launch a fund than the August 2008 start of this dividend focused offering. Those who had the stomach to stick around have been rewarded with stellar risk adjusted returns with an annualized return of 12.2% for the three years ending May 31. This outpaced the S&P/TSX Composite Index by more than 800 basis points per year. Even more impressive, the level of volatility has been well below both the category average and the broader market.
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